I'll Play Your Little Game
by eternalsnowfox
Summary: In the real world, they were ordinary teens suffering from boredom. In the Death Note world, their lives are put on the line. After accidental interferance with the plot, they realize that there's more to this new world than meets the eye...
1. The Notebook

**First chapter of Little Game. **

**Heads up:**

**-The OC characters don't really interact with any of the Death Note characters until later chapters (but still in the single digits, I promise!).**

**-I'm going through some editing with a lot of stuff, so chapters are subject to change, but nothing major. **

**-I don't specifically like this first chapter, but it's all I got so brace yourselves and endure until later when it gets interesting! We have a lot of supernatural things in store for you guys (and maybe a little romance?), not to mention a really messed up plot.**

**-I try to keep everyone as much in character as possible. If they're not, then…well…haha sorry. XD **

**Enough of the chit chat…onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note; otherwise, I wouldn't be here. Duh.**

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**"NO! DIE!"

"Guys! Keep it down over there."

Ah, yes. Another ordinary day at the school library.

The library was the only place my friends and I could go to without being disturbed. We would get our passes signed to come to the library during our study halls and lunch periods so we could hang out and talk about things such as our wacky dreams, food, and most of all, Death Note.

"DIE!"

Hang on, I'll get to that in a minute.

There were only three of us in the little group. We didn't have a lot of books in our library, and we didn't really care. So, we stayed as far away from the bookcases as possible. Away from curious eavesdroppers and just plain crazy people. We sat in a little corner towards the entrance of the library, on these really comfy chairs that formed into a circle. A small, low table was placed in the middle. a.k.a.: The footrest.

I glanced lazily at Marichka, one of my fellow Death Note obsessors. She was in her "gaming mode," and was furiously kicking the air with her DS in hand-no doubt about it. She was playing Kingdom Hearts. I've never played it before, let alone knew what it was, and I didn't care. The only thing I was concerned about at the moment was not getting hit with her raging feet. But of course, I was too lazy to even think about moving if her foot came my way.

"NO! I shall kill you!"

"Guys!" The librarian scolded.

Marichka wore Death Note T-shirts and dark colored clothing most of the time, and had a small, Death Note strap bag to her side. Her hair was dark brown and cut like Light Yagami's, and wore thick, dark-rimmed square glasses. Judging by everything that she was wearing, a Death Note passerby would look at her as a Kira supporter, as she was. The look of pure concentration was written on her face, which was normal for my strange friend. It was quite amusing watching her; curled up in a ball on a soft chair, kicking the air with no shoes on, screaming "die," and a panic-like determination emanating from her facial expression. Marichka's personality was pretty confusing. She didn't really have one that stood out. Her hobby was just plain obsession. I've only seen her get excited over her idols and television shows or movies that she loved. In all, her personality had its own category, despite the smartass vibe that she gave off.

Getting bored with watching Marichka's virtual fight-to-the-finish, my eyes floated to Meagan in hopes of some entertainment. She was listening to her Ipod, probably on full blast, and eating an apple. Her hair was always pulled up in a ponytail, and was a brownish-gold color. You couldn't really see the shine because of the five to seven layers of gel she puts in everyday, but you can still see the gold tint at the end of her short, curly hair. Meagan was the smartass of the group. She always wore blue jeans and random shirts that had comments such as "bite me," and things related to her favorite band, Disturbed. Her eyes constantly held a mischievous glint in them. She was always looking for entertainment, and would prefer to sit and watch events than to actually take part in them, mostly because it required effort.

Then there was me, Amanda. I had long, dark-brown hair that went down to my waist, and I was often referred to as a hippie because of it. Some call me bipolar because I'm sometimes bouncy, happy, and musical-the next minute I'm zoning out, looking very upset, when really I feel nothing-lifeless. I wore loose-fitting, comfortable clothes. I was constantly wearing my blue jacket and I always wore jeans. Unlike my other two friends, I was an L supporter. I solely believed that killing people was wrong, regardless of what they've done. I didn't feel too strongly on the subject, unlike Marichka, so I sided with the justice that had been set up for us.

"Die, damn it!"

Since Meagan was listening to her Ipod and Marichka was in her "gaming mode," I brought out my Sudoku book and began solving one of the hardest puzzles. It was annoying how those little numbers always tricked me into thinking they went in different places, but surprisingly the one I picked took me about fifteen minutes to solve.

I closed my book and stuffed it in my backpack, utterly bored with myself. I grabbed my eraser and threw it at Meagan's head. "Hey, Ryuk." Meagan put her Ipod on pause and looked up in hearing her nickname. "Did we have any French homework?"

She shook her head. "No," she replied lazily.

My right eye twitched, usually a sign of impatience. I didn't even have homework to work on to pass the time. "I'm so bored! Isn't there anything to do around this place?"

"Why don't you start dancing? That'll give us a good laugh."

I narrowed my eyes at Meagan, who laughed in turn. Suddenly seeming to have an idea, she turned her head towards Marichka. She outstretched her finger and brought it forward, poking Marichka's arm. "Poke." Marichka didn't react, and continued to play her DS game.

"I can't wait till the end of the day. Your house _has _to better than this pathetic excuse for a school..."

Meagan stared at me and a low, rough, growl-like laugh slightly shook her body. "My house is the last place to go for entertainment. It gets pretty boring around there."

"You're always bored," it was Marichka that had replied, this time. I was surprised she was even paying attention to our small conversation.

Shortly after, the bell rang and we were off to our next classes. The school day seemed to go pretty fast, thankfully, and no homework weighed down on my shoulders. Marichka and I boarded Meagan's bus. It was a Friday and we were gonna hang at her place for a while before we had to go home to our deranged, out-of-place families. Meagan took an apple from her backpack and started munching on it, listening to her Ipod. Marichka took out her DS and started playing Kingdom Hearts. I took out my Sudoku puzzles and began solving. Must be de javu.

As the time flew by, we were finally at Meagan's house, roaming around her bedroom, thinking of ways to cure our boredom. Nobody felt like talking. We've all had a pretty dull day so there was nothing to talk about. The room was a light blue and it was covered with models of dragons, stuffed animals, and a bunch of random objects.

Marichka suddenly sat up from Meagan's bed and stared out the window, her eyes scanning the downtown area. It was winter. Everything was white with snow and blinding. Her eyes traveled to the ground and her eyebrows suddenly furrowed in confusion, apparently trying to make something out. "Hey, I'll be right back."

"Mk," Meagan replied in a 'why should I care' tone. She wasn't the least bit interested in where she was going, unlike me who glanced after Marichka eagerly as she left.

I resisted the urge to look out the window and scan for myself. _It's none of my business. Maybe she's just hungry or something. On the other hand, if she goes outside, she'll get frostbite. Haha…_

After a few minutes, a squeal could be heard from outside. I raced to the window and looked down, only to find that no one was there. _Was that Marichka?_

Just then, she burst through the door, jumping up and down. She was talking so fast I could barely understand her. I managed to make out only a few words: "Death Note...real….amazing…...Kira…..excited….book…LOOK!" Marichka finished with the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face. Meagan raised an eyebrow at Marichka, but was still faintly curious.

I looked at what she was holding. A black notebook with white words that read 'Death Note.'

"You can't be serious," I said, finally comprehending the situation. "Where'd you find that?"

"Outside in the snow!" she replied with a jump.

I raised my eyebrow at her antics. "Seriously, what's the big deal about it, anyway?"

"There's actually a Death Note out there that doesn't have regular print in it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look! 'Lind L. Taylor' isn't scrawled across the page like those animecon ones."

I examined the notebook closely. I've never been to an animecon myself, but I've seen the souvenirs she brought back. "Hey, that's pretty cool…"

"There's writing in it, too," Marichka flipped the page to let Meagan and I see the writing on the page.

"Names?"

"Yes, Amanda, that's what a Death Note is supposed to have in it," Marichka replied sarcastically.

"Hang on a second, where exactly was that outside?"

"Meagan's front yard."

"Well it's probably not yours. Someone may have dropped it."

"It was in the middle of the yard with no footprints leading to it, so if someone did manage to 'drop' it, they obviously dropped it on purpose."

I began staring Marichka down as did she and a mental battle ensued.

I broke it when I smirked. "K. Keep it. Whatever floats your boat, Light." At the sound of her nickname, Marichka's smile got bigger, if that was even possible.

"Here, let me see," Meagan held out a hand as the Death Note was placed in it. She leafed through the pages curiously.

"If only it was real…" Marichka dreamt with glazed eyes.

"Oh, please. Like that could ever happen here," I rolled my eyes.

Marichka sighed. "I know, but I can dream, can't I?"

There was silence. Then, "Hey, Light…show me where you found the notebook. I wanna see it for myself."

Marichka's head perked up and she smiled, grabbing my arm and dragging me out the door.

"Ew! We're going outside! At least let me put on a jacket!" I yelled.

"Suck it up! We're going outside!" Meagan's dad was on a computer playing video games with a headset on, so he didn't notice Marichka tugging me along and Meagan in pursuit. I struggled to get my shoes on while on my (Marichka's) way out. Marichka already had her shoes on and Meagan seemed to slip hers on in an instant.

My kidnapper pulled me eagerly out the front door and into the snow. I shivered from the sudden cold. The snow was about a foot deep, and I was desperately hoping that she wouldn't drag me through it. She suddenly stopped once we were at the bottom of the porch steps and whipped her head to the right. Between the street and Meagan's porch, there was a small grassy area about 4 feet wide and since it was winter, the grass was under a foot of snow – not much a front yard, really.

Marichka pointed with her index finger at the perfect square imprinted in the snow. "That's where I found it."

There were footsteps imprinted in the snow as well, and I realized that they were Marichka's when she found the Death Note. I carefully approached the square and examined it closely.

"There are no other footprints leading to it besides mine, so someone probably threw it over. But…"

We looked over at Marichka, who was deep in thought.

"But what?" I prodded.

"I thought I saw it fall from the sky…"

I instantly rolled my eyes. "Here we go…"

"No, I'm serious. A black blur fell from the sky."

"It could've been a crow," Meagan suggested. "There _are _a lot of crows in Pennsylvania, ya know."

I gave Marichka a suspicious look. The square indent only looked to be about a fourth of a foot deep – so someone obviously either pushed it down (why they would do that is beyond me) to make a heavy indent, or it fell from a great height. "Hey, Kira. Let me see that." I raised my hand, indicating for Marichka to give me the Death Note. She hesitated, unsure of what I was about to do. Then, she reluctantly placed it into my hand. I stood from my crouch, outstretched my arms with the notebook at eye level, and dropped it straight down in front of me. I then picked it up and examined the indent that it had left.

"Why'd you do that?" Marichka's exclaimed with a shocked expression. She probably thought I was abusing the notebook.

I pointed towards the new indent I had made. "I raised that notebook to about five feet-"

Meagan coughed loudly, clearly indicating that the measurement I had said was wrong and that I was short. I wasn't all that short really, but she liked to tease me about it.

"Five feet, a _rough estimate_, and dropped it. It left a half-an-inch indent in the snow. If that other one-" I pointed towards the original space where the notebook had fallen. "-is only three inches deep, then…" I started to do quick measurements in my head, saying the important bits of information out loud. "Three…two…six…thirty. That notebook was dropped from at least thirty feet. Definitely more because of the pressure put on the snow and how thin this book is, and the top of the snow hardened. That would be over twice or three times the amount of thirty. We'll go with three. That's ninety feet at least." I turned to Meagan. "And I'm sure that's way taller than your house."

"An airplane," Meagan shrugged as if the answer was obvious.

"What kind of idiot would open up a plane window, w_hich is impossible, _to throw out a Death Note that you can buy at an animecon?"

"Yeah, and even if a plane was to drop its cargo, there would be more stuff around this area and we would've heard an airplane go by. Not to mention that an airplane wouldn't drop cargo that's _not _in boxes and _not _over inhabited areas."

Marichka took the Death Note from me and hugged it to her chest, protecting it from any more harm on the still soggy cover.

"Plus, it's impossible to drop that from twenty-five feet – a rough estimate from your roof to the ground - and leave that deep of an indent. This notebook obviously fell from a great height. It wasn't from an airplane and no one dropped it from your roof." I put my index finger to my chin, trying to remember the measurement I had made before.

Marichka saved me from extra thinking. "You said something about it being dropped over ninety feet."

"I'm pretty sure Galileo's rule plays some part in this problem, but I'm just going to disregard that since I'm not too sure. So based on this evidence…"

"A shinigami dropped it?" Meagan suggested.

"I don't believe that!" Amanda declared as she crossed her arms. "There's got to be a logical explanation for all of this. Come back to reality, you guys."

"So it's real?" Marichka bounced up and down excitedly, completely ignoring me. Regardless of what I said, the chances of that notebook being the real deal were too high. Marichka laughed at me. "Haha! You just did all that math only to find out I was right!" Meagan smiled with amusement and my crossed arms stiffened, pouting and narrowing my eyes. Marichka laughed harder at my expression.

Meagan stepped closer to me and gave me what was supposed to be a comforting hug. "It's ok, Near. We still love you." I wasn't in the mood for hugs, so I stiffened and waited until Meagan was done 'cheering me up.'

"Ok, Ryuk. Sharing isn't always caring…" Apparently, Meagan didn't take notice to the hint and squeezed really tight. Like, _really _tight. One of her famous Meagan Hugs. As expected. I managed to get away from her grasp after she had loosened it, gasping for breath. At that moment I again realized how cold it was outside.

"We should get back inside. It's freezing out here." Marichka had said. For a second, it seemed like she had read my mind. I smoothed my foot over some snow and filled in both of the squares, so as not to raise any questions and to ease my own paranoia.

In a matter of minutes we were up in Meagan's room, all of us staring at the notebook of death curiously.

"What now?" Meagan asked. Marichka and I had the same question in mind. Well, I did anyway.

"We should try it."

My eyes widened as I turned to stare at Marichka.

"_No way!_" I hissed. Marichka had a gleam in her eye. It was way too similar to Light's in the manga and anime.

"Come on, Near. Just like they said in the series: 'There's something about the notebook that makes you want to try it out just once.'" Marichka finished with a smile.

"That's because they wanted to see if it was real. There's an extremely high chance that it's real. We can't use it!" I scolded her. Marichka didn't seem affected.

"Of course we can! All we need is a name and a face…" Marichka held her chin in her hand as she began to think.

"No! We can't kill someone! It's a _crime_! Against the law! A no-no!" I yelled and waved my arms around frantically to emphasize the importance of my statement. Marichka either didn't hear me, or ignored me. I guessed the latter.

"I can think of tons of names right now…I'll have to get my fake Death Note later and simply copy and paste!"

"Stop! No one is going to die from that book!"

"No. I should avoid killing people I know."

"You should avoid killing people, period!" I turned to Meagan and pointed a finger at Marichka. "Do you approve of this?"

Meagan shrugged. "Don't ask me what's right or wrong. I don't want to take part in any of this." With that statement she stood and walked to an empty space on her wall next to her bed that I hadn't noticed before and leaned against it, hands in her pockets.

I turned to Marichka, only to realize she wasn't there.

She was at Meagan's laptop on the other side of the room, typing something into Google Search. I raced to her side as she started writing something in the notebook. "NO!"

But it was too late.

Marichka leaned back on the side of the bed and smiled triumphantly. "Now, we wait."

My eyes widened as I looked at the screen.

_Paul G. Newman_

He looked beaten up and angry in his photo. A scar was above his right eye and his face was covered with dirt, as if he had just come out of a brawl. He had been arrested for beating up someone in an alleyway, and was vandalizing shops around a town for quite some time.

As cruel as this sounds, the death of this person didn't concern me. I only wanted the notebook.

My eyes flashed to the Death Note and my hand quickly reached out to grab it, but Marichka was faster. She snatched up the Death Note and ran to the other side of the room with a crazy smile on her face. "There's no way you're getting this!"

I knew that once a name was written, a death couldn't be avoided.

_This isn't happening!_

After chasing Marichka around the room and my efforts had proved fruitless, I gave up and sat down. For some reason, I gave up after forty seconds, mainly because I exceeded my limit at thirty. Even though the rules say that the death can't be avoided, it was worth a shot.

_For all we know, it's not real! It could still be a prank! _I thought hopefully. It would be really bad if Marichka had a _real _Death Note.

Meagan turned to Marichka, unfazed by what she had just witnessed. "So, how're you gonna find out about his death?"

Marichka raised an eyebrow. She then shrugged. "I'll find it somewhere. The news or the internet or something."

"So that means we have to wait?" I cried, still gasping for breath after the chase.

"Yep," The malicious glint in Marichka's eyes disappeared and her crazy smile turned into a normal one. "So what do you guys wanna do now?"

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**Like it? Hate it? Think I should continue? (I'm going to anyway, whether you like it or not so ha) **

**R&R if you wish.**


	2. Shinigami?

**Next chapter's up! Let's do this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note**

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Sleeping. I felt like sleeping. I had done way too much thinking for a Friday and since I was horrible in the athletic category, Marichka's 40 second chase wore me down to almost nothing.

It's been two hours since the Death Note appeared. Two hours of Meagan wandering her room and fiddling with multiple objects, Marichka pretending to be cool because she had a Death Note, but failing miserably when she couldn't hold her excitement and burst out into fits of giggles at the most random times, and yours truly fretting over the past events and trying to make sense of it all.

"Hey, Near."

Silence.

"Near."

More silence.

Meagan came up from beside me and poked my arm. "Amanda."

"…….Hm? What?" I jolted out of my trance and slightly turned my head to Meagan.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"You want anything?" Meagan asked Marichka.

"No. I'm good."

Meagan shrugged. "Alright. More for me." She silently left the room, leaving Marichka and I alone.

"What if it doesn't work?" I looked up at Marichka, who was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling.

"If what doesn't work?" Marichka inquired.

"The Death Note." Marichka turned her head to face me, giving me the 'what a stupid question' look.

"Of course it will. I will admit, I have my doubts. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't real at all. But you can never be too sure….." Her voice trailed off and she had a distant look in her eye.

"And if this Paul G. Newman really does die?"

"Then the world will be free of one less criminal."

I didn't feel like arguing with her. No one can change Marichka's viewpoints on anything, not that I had ever tried to, considering the fact that I didn't care. She thought criminals deserved to die and I thought criminals should be given a second chance. End of story.

"Tell me, Kira. Will you continue to use the notebook if it's real?" This is it. The one question that's been floating in my mind ever since I first laid eyes on the Death Note.

The room was silent for a total of eight seconds. I lifted my head once again to face Marichka, examining the look on her face.

"Don't waste my time with asking me questions you already know the answers to." It was silent again. This time, it was fifteen seconds.

"This is real life, Marichka. Real people can die. This isn't the manga or the anime where everything is made up of drawings." I told her seriously.

"I know that. And that's the beauty of all. There are way too many people in this world that are causing harm to others and don't get punished for their crimes. If this Death Note is real, I can change that. As Light Yagami once said: I can create a new world." Marichka finished with the slightest hint of triumph in her voice.

"Yeah. A world full of fear."

"They have no reason to fear me. As long as they've done nothing wrong, they don't have to worry. They can all live peacefully."

"But what about others who threaten to put names on the internet? Your actions would be turning everyone on each other with that threat, causing major chaos."

"If I got rid of the bad people, there wouldn't be anyone causing the threats, now would there?"

I heaved a sigh. I tried. All I could do was hope that the mysterious notebook of death in Marichka's arms was fake. I could somehow steal and burn the notebook, but that would be impossible with the way Marichka was holding it. Once she leaves Meagan's house, she'll be sure to find a good hiding place. So if I was going to get rid of the notebook, it had to be soon.

Meagan walked in the room shortly after, carrying an apple and a fistful of chocolate bars. She walked to her spot on the wall and glanced at both of us, sensing the thick tension in the air. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing," Marichka stared up at the ceiling again, getting wrapped up in her thoughts. Meagan smirked when she saw that I was eying her chocolate.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry."

"I'm not."

"Then quit staring." She couldn't help but to laugh and throw me a chocolate bar, laughing harder when I eagerly caught it and ripped open the wrapper.

"What?" I asked as I noticed her laughing.

"I think I just found your weakness."

"Screw you." I stuck out my tongue in a childish manner and continued to eat my given chocolate.

Meagan laughed harder.

A thought had suddenly struck me. _With every Death Note, there's a shinigami. So……………where's the shinigami?_

I voiced my thought to Meagan, who shrugged. "It should be around here somewhere. It'll pop up eventually. Probably when it's dark and when we're not expecting it."

"Well, it's dark. Are we expecting it?" Meagan looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment.

"Yeah. Quit expecting it, Near." She said with a laugh.

"How am I supposed to do that? Forget everything that's happened so far?"

"Exactly."

It was silent for a while.

I noticed Marichka on the bed, dozing off.

_That's right, Marichka. Sleep. THEN I'll take that Death Note! _I schemed. I spent a while thinking about what I would do. Burn it…shred it…anything that would get rid of that stupid book! When I came back to reality, I was slightly confused about where I was. I wasn't in my usual spot on the floor beside the bed. I then realized that I had unintentionally moved to a dark corner of the room. Wait…..EVERYTHING was dark…..

_What's going on here? _

"Ok. Who turned off the lights?" I demanded, slightly irritated. I heard a shuffle of movement from behind me. I slowly turned around, fearing that it would be a shinigami.

"AAAHHH!!!" There was a sudden flash of light in the middle of the room, and a face appeared from above a flashlight, screaming.

"KYAAAOOHH!!" I must have jumped two feet off the ground. Meagan burst out laughing.

"Don't you EVER do that again!" My voice was harsh and my face was lit up with fury. Meagan moved the flashlight away from her face, trying to control her laughter. But as soon as she did, another face could be seen beside her.

"Boo."

Three things happened at once.

Meagan stopped laughing

We both screamed

Meagan turned around to face the voice and backed up into me, sending us both to the floor

The flashlight Meagan was holding fell to the floor, and the light went out.

"What the hell was that?!" I couldn't see Meagan's face, but the fingernail printings she was carving into my arm told me enough.

"Ok! RELEASE!" Meagan didn't move. She then realized I was talking to her. I could feel the pressure of her fingers become slowly lighter. After a few seconds, her hand was removed and I could feel something wet on my arm. _She did NOT make me bleed!_

I slowly rose to my feet and searched frantically for the light switch. I wasn't sure what Meagan was doing, but I heard a few ungraceful crashes and shuffling coming from her side of the room.

My hand traveled through the air in front of me, waving them around like I was some kind of string puppet, when my hand touched someone-or something's-face.

My eyes widened with fear and I began to hit the figure over and over again, still not sure who they were. But after that face I just saw, nothing was safe in this room.

"Ouch! Ow! Quit it! MATSUDA YOU IDIOT! IT'S ME!" It took me a while to realize I had been hitting Marichka. Yes, I also had been given the nickname, Matsuda, for my…..not so L moments.

"Oh, sorry bout that…" My hands turned to the left and began searching. "Help me find the light switch," I told her.

"OH MY KIRA! THERE'S BLOOD ON MY FINGERNAILS!"

"That's _my _blood, genius!" I snapped at Meagan.

"OH NO! I KILLED AMANDA!" I face palmed and proceeded to search for the light. The room lights suddenly flickered on and everything was bright. I turned to my right to see Marichka no less than a foot away from me, her hand on the light switch.

"I win," Marichka declared in a matter-of-fact tone. I narrowed my eyes and turned my head sharply in the other direction, arms crossed, nose in the air.

"It's just a light switch."

"Oh, it's not just a light switch anymore. It's my seventeenth victory this week," Marichka smirked and looked over at Meagan.

She was on the floor with her random objects and stuffed animals scattered all around her. She was staring with horror at her hands, blood smeared everywhere.

I took a look at my arm. There was blood smeared on my right forearm and there was a darker shade of red towards the middle where I was still bleeding. The wounds were in the form of little slits.

Meagan looked at my arm and sighed with relief. "For a second there, I thought _I _was the one bleeding to death! What a relief!" I shot her a death glare and turned to Marichka.

"Did you see it?" I asked her eagerly.

"See what?" I stared at her disbelievingly.

"Where were you during all the screams and the flashlight and the face and the 'boo' and the light and the fingernails and the-…oooooohhhhh!! FORGET IT!" I threw my fists down to my sides with defeat.

"There was a face," Meagan's voice could be heard clearer; she was standing behind me, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"A…..face?" Marichka looked confused.

"It wasn't just any face. It was a scary face! It was…the kind of face that would give you nightmares!" Meagan's voice was getting louder with every word, excitement was clearly written on her face.

"Are you sure it wasn't Amanda?"

"HEY!"

"It looked like a shinigami!"

There was silence.

"A shinigami, huh?" Marichka brought her hand to her chin and put on a thinking face.

"It was awesome!" Meagan was slightly bouncing with more excitement.

"Ok. I was knocked to the floor, sliced by fingernails, and I am now bleeding to death. Is anyone hearing me?!" I shouted at them. No one was listening.

"My shinigami is here!" Marichka fist pumped the air and she had a joyous smile on her face. "How did it look? Was it a male or female? Please tell me it was a male! Did it have a scar? Is it LIGHT?"

Meagan shook her head. "I couldn't tell. It sounded like a male from the voice, but it didn't sound like Light's voice from _Visions of a God._"Marichka looked slightly disappointed, but brightened up almost instantly.

"I can't wait to meet him? Where is he? Which way did he go?" Marichka searched the room, as if expecting to find a death god casually leaning against the wall.

"I don't know. He disappeared…" Meagan's voice trailed off as her eyes met my arm. "Hey, Near. You might want to get that checked. You're practically bleeding to death."

"Seriously," Marichka agreed, giving my arm a pitiful look.

My face instantly went blank and my eyes narrowed. "Thanks for the advice. I would have NEVER thought of that!" I gave them the biggest glare I could muster.

Just then, a sudden chill swept over me. My eyes widened as something appeared out of thin air next to me-its face was close to my ear, sending fear through my body like an electrical current.

"Boo."

**Sorry, guys. This one's a little short. XO But no need to worry! I'll get the next chapter up pretty soon! ;)**

**You know the rest….R&R….blah blah blah…………**


	3. Another Realm

**This took me FOREVER to write! And it still turned out boring! GUH! Well, forgive me. I had a long day today. Here's the next chapter. Go nuts. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note**

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At first, I couldn't move. I was frozen to the spot. Marichka's eyes grew wide and stared at the shinigami with awe and Meagan had the exact same expression. I slowly turned my head to the left and came face to face with a god of death.

He was about Ryuk's size, I would guess. He had a dull white face and pointed teeth, with a faint trace of crusted blood in the corners near his gums. His black fur slightly shielded his shinigami eyes and he had a huge, murderous smile. His neck was covered with jet black fur, a chain was wrapped around his shoulder and across his chest, and his wings were furless and grey, casting a shadow over the three of us. Silver handcuffs were around his grey wrists and ankles-the chains linked between them were broken and dangling to his side and the one from his ankles on the floor. Small bones were chained together in the form of a bag with black cloth which was wrapped around his waist-probably a place where he would keep the Death Note-and his feet were skeletal and dull white with pointed toes.

The shinigami crackled and I snapped out of my frozen state. I slowly backed up into Marichka, who shoved me aside and raced to the shinigami, knocking me into Meagan who shoved me aside as well and followed Marichka. I ended up face first on the floor.

_You've got to be kidding…_

"So, you're my shinigami?" Marichka tried to regain her composure and act cool, but the sound of her voice led one to believe otherwise.

"Yeah. That's right. You don't seem surprised to see me," the shinigami broke out into malicious laughter and looked at the Death Note in Marichka's arms.

_She had the Death Note in her hands the entire time! I could've taken it in the dark! Stupid! Stupid! STUPID! _I cursed myself for being so careless and panicking during the blackout while I rose from the floor. 

"Why would I be? The Death Note had to belong to _someone_ before it was dropped," Marichka smiled.

"Hehehe…Interesting…" The shinigami's voice trailed off and looked over at me. Chills went through my body again as I stared into his eyes. He started laughing again. I then realized he started eyeing my bleeding arm.

"Am I interrupting something?" He still didn't take his eyes off my wound.

"Not at all! Actually, we've been expecting you," Marichka gave an evil smile and walked towards the bed, sitting with her elbows on her knees.

"Oh?" The shinigami looked at her with surprise.

"Yeah. So you got a name?"

"Hehe…You can call me Ketsueki."

Marichka grinned and closed her eyes. "Perfect."

"And you?"

"Marichka." She pointed to us. "That's Meagan and Amanda."

"So why the scare back there? You nearly killed me!" Meagan laughed.

I shot her another glare. "Are you the one bleeding? I DON'T THINK SO!" I bellowed, shaking my left fist in the air to emphasize my condition.

"Oh! Near, you're bleeding!" Ok. That one was on purpose. Meagan burst out laughing when I gave her a horrified expression.

"I'm just teasing. What happened, anyway?"

"YOU happened! Do you not see the blood on YOUR fingernails?!"

"Oh yeah! So that's what it was!" She glanced at my wound. "_I _did _that_?" She then looked back at me. "Well what d'ya know? I'm capable of being awesome even when I can't see!"

I stood up furiously. "I'm leaving for the bandages. Have any?"

"In the bathroom under the sink. Open the drawer to your left. They should be in there."

I stomped off.

_I can't believe them!_

I grabbed some bandages and began washing off my arm.

"…So you know the story, then?" I heard the shinigami say.

I heard another voice, but it was muffled from the running water.

"Well, well, well. Aren't we smart? Ryuk wasn't kidding. This will be quite entertaining."

More muffled voices.

"Oh?"

I managed to distinguish whose muffles were whose. Marichka seemed to be explaining something. Probably what she saw from the Death Note series.

"So what're you gonna do?"

Ok. Maybe I was wrong. What were they saying?

I turned off the water and grabbed some bandages, making my way to Meagan's room.

"…get us there?" I heard Marichka ask with excitement.

"Get us where?" I asked her as soon as I walked in.

"To the Death Note world!" I gave Meagan I disbelieving stare as she said this.

"What did I miss?" I looked over to the shinigami, who sighed and began to speak.

"The anime series 'Death Note' actually exists. Not in this world, as one would think. It's in another universe. They aren't just drawings there, they're real people. And shinigami have the ability to take you there."

"Take me!" Marichka leaped up off the bed, raising her hand in the hair.

"Sorry. Traveling from realm to realm isn't my specialty. I could try, but you would probably end up dead." The shinigami smiled, awaiting our reply.

Marichka heaved a sigh and sat back down on the bed. "I really don't want to die. Is there a way of getting there without getting killed or injured?"

"Nope. At least, nothing I'm capable of anyway."

"What all can happen if you try to transport us besides death?" Meagan inquired.

Ketsueki thought for a moment. "You could end up in the wrong universe, your appearances or personalities could change, memory loss, burns, and other nasty side effects."

"Yeah, but how?" Meagan's excited expression was gone and replaced with curiosity and seriousness.

"Something to do with which realms you pass through. For example, one wants to go from point A to point D. Which means they would have to pass through points B and C. When you enter a realm, you can end up anywhere. You could get transported to a natural disaster or to a crime scene. You could also end up underwater and drown. Since I'm a shinigami, these issues don't affect me. But you are humans. Only the more experienced shinigami can control where you go when you enter a realm. Get what I'm saying?"

"So you're a rookie?" I asked him.

Ketsueki nodded. "If I were Katsutoshi or Yami, then I could take you there in an instant, without passing through other realms."

"Who?"

"Some shinigami I know. Though, they would only be willing to do so for a price."

Marichka sniffled. "I wanted to go to the Death Note world…"

Ketsueki looked at Marichka at laughed his signature laugh again.

_He reminds me so much of Ryuk. Constantly laughing with amusement. But what's so amusing about all this? I don't understand…_ I looked at the shinigami and a sudden thought came to me._ Wait...I've heard that laugh before…I laugh like that sometimes when I'm watching a movie and I know what's gonna happen next. Usually when something bad happens to a character I don't like. He knows something we don't, doesn't he? _ Once I caught Marichka's eye, I gave her a wary look and glanced at Ketsueki. At first, she didn't seem to understand what I was trying to warn her about, but then the shinigami laughed again.

"Why are you laughing?" Marichka had caught up. She had a blank expression on her face, hiding any feelings she might have felt at the moment.

"No reason…" Marichka and I gave each other knowing looks.

_Liar!_

Then, the most unexpected thing happened.

The floor started shaking.

"Earthquake?!" Meagan screamed.

_There aren't any earthquakes around here! What the hell?_

The door to Meagan's room shut by itself and the lights started to flicker. Ketsueki burst out into amused laughter. "Well this is unexpected. Have fun." I heard him say. He slowly disappeared into the shadows.

_What'd he mean by 'have fun?'_

"What's happening?" I was beginning to panic. Marichka was clutching the Death Note with fear and Meagan tried to ease her way to the middle of the room where she wouldn't get hit with anything. Marichka had the same idea, but the room was shaking so violently that she was flung off her feet and onto the floor.

"We have to get out of here!" Meagan shouted over the noise. She began to make her way to the door.

"Wait! You can't use the stairs during an earthquake! You would fall right through!"

I took a step forward in an attempt to stop Meagan, but the force of the shaking threw me backwards, headfirst into the open closet.

_I don't get it! Why is this room still in one piece?_

Meagan was flung to the bed and Marichka was on the floor on the other side of the room. I couldn't tell if she was alright or not.

The closet door slid shut.

_No! I'm still in here!_

I rose from the floor, using the wall for support and tried to find a knob or a latch or some sort of indent to get it open. I had failed to do so and started pounding on the door, hoping someone would come open it. Then I stopped.

_No one's gonna come to the door, you idiot! You're in an earthquake! Get them in this closet, now! _I scolded myself.

I tried to find the knob or latch once again. The original plan was to grab Marichka and Meagan and throw them in the closet. I once heard that a closet would decrease your chances of getting hurt, but I wasn't sure. That information was better than nothing, though.

Exhaustion suddenly swept over me and my legs fell from beneath me. I had hit the floor, and passed out.

It was dark.

_Where am I?_

It was silent. I was disoriented.

_I'm forgetting something…what is it?_

After some time of asking myself questions, a rough voice could be heard in my head. _Why don't you open your eyes and find out, dobe!_

I obeyed the voice and slowly opened my eyes. I sat up and looked around.

A flood of memories suddenly struck my already pounding head. _Meagan…Marichka…Death Note…Ketsueki…earthquake…closet! Oh my god! What happened back there?!_

My mind had recovered and I took in my surroundings. The walls were a light brown color and there was a dresser and a mirror in the middle of the room, against the wall. Elegant lights were hanging from the walls, turned off, and the only light that showed was the sun which could be seen through the soft, brown curtains. I was in a small bed with dark brown sheets and a white pillow. I stood from the bed and looked over at the other bed next to mine. Marichka was on top of the covers as I was, with her glasses still on.

The sight of her caused me to jump.

She didn't look normal.

How can I put this into words without sounding insane?

_She looks like an…anime person!_

I looked at my hands with shock as I noticed I was outlined in black as well and raced to the mirror. My long, light brown hair was all straightened out and seemed completely manageable to brush. My teeth were pure white and I had the same clothes on as I did when I was in 3D. Black lines outlined my clothes, giving them a crinkled look. I was still pale. Not as pale as L, but pale enough to make someone look twice. My eyes were a hazel color, just as in the real world, and they had a small sparkle in them. All in all, I didn't look that bad.

I then noticed Meagan on the floor against Marichka's bed. _Better wake them up…_

I crept over towards them and shook Meagan gently. Hopefully, she wouldn't freak out as much as Marichka would. She nodded her head and opened her eyes, swaying a bit from dizziness. As soon as her eyes met mine, they widened and she jumped up.

"What the hell is going on?" She saw herself in the mirror across the room and stared for awhile. Her hair was the same color as before except brighter and it was still pulled back. Her blue eyes seemed slightly darker and her clothes didn't seem to change in any way. 'Disturbed' was plainly written on her shirt in a cartoon form-as everything else in the room.

I looked over at Marichka, half-hoping that I wouldn't have to wake her up.

I sighed. "Here goes…" I shook her arm and she jolted awake.

"What…" She looked at me, and as Meagan had done, her eyes widened and she jumped up. She didn't react how I thought she would. I figured Marichka would yell with excitement and scream like a crazy fan girl.

Looks like I was in luck.

Marichka looked in the mirror with shock and ran a hand over her face. Her square glasses and big eyes gave her an innocent look, but I could tell just by the looking at her-it was _too _innocent. She could easily turn into a Kira if she wanted to. Her Death Note T-shirt had the exact same look as in the real world. A smile slowly appeared on her face and she started laughing.

Ok maybe I wasn't so lucky.

"YYYYEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!" Marichka jumped with excitement. She ran to me, grabbed my shoulders, and shook me violently. "I'M….I'M….I'M A CAR-"

I slapped my hand over her mouth. "If we're in a cartoon, we shouldn't let everyone know. That wouldn't be the wisest decision, now would it?" I hissed and released her.

Marichka shook her head back and forth like some kind of dog. "Sorry! I'm just so excited!" She beamed at me and looked at Meagan. "This is so cool!"

Meagan nodded. "I know, right?"

I sighed. This was cool and all, but really? "Which cartoon are we in?"

"Death Note, I hope!" Marichka leaped with glee.

I pulled open the curtains. The familiar city of Tokyo shined through and I looked at my two friends.

"If that's the case, you should get rid of that shirt," Meagan pointed out after witnessing the scenery. Marichka looked down and her smile got bigger.

"Yeah, I'm sure L would be pretty ticked if he found his face on a 15 year old teenage girl's shirt," I sighed and handed her my jacket. "Put this on. It'll give you some cover. We need to go shopping for new clothes. Anyone have any money?" Meagan and Marichka shook their heads.

"Well we can't just stay here. What kind of building are we in, anyway?" Meagan asked with a confused expression.

"I don't know. We better go find out. Come on." I waved my hand for them to follow and I opened the only door in the room.

It led to an empty hallway with brown walls. There were doors side by side with numbers on them.

"Hotel," Marichka confirmed. She walked forward and picked up a box in front of the door that I didn't see. "What's this?"

"Bring it inside." Meagan held the door open and Marichka set it on the bed.

"There's a note." Marichka was right. A slip of paper was taped to the top.

I grabbed it and flipped it over. Whoever tried to write the note apparently hadn't succeeded in spelling the words correctly, let alone had nice handwriting. The words scrawled across the slip of paper read: _To get you started. –Ketsu_

I read the message out loud and stared at it with confusion. "Go ahead and open it."

Marichka obeyed, and ripped open the box. Inside were stacks of Japanese money. Then a thought struck me.

"Do people here speak Japanese?" I know it was a stupid question, but with what was going on, nothing made sense anymore.

"Well, we _are_ in Japan." Marichka stated, as if the answer was as plain as day.

"I don't know cause we could be in an English dubbed version of this universe." Meagan said.

"Oh. I don't know. Perhaps we should get going, then?" Marichka grabbed some money and stuffed it in her pockets.

"We should buy a backpack to put this money in, too." I suggested.

"We should each get a backpack and put money into them, just in case we get split up."

"Good idea, Meagan. We'll do that." Marichka grabbed the box and we went to the lobby.

"Checking out?" A woman at the desk asked politely.

"Huh? Uh, yeah." Marichka muttered.

"Halleluiah! They speak English!" I sighed with relief.

"Room number please." Marichka looked at us with a 'you should know this' expression.

"121." Meagan said as the woman typed away at her computer.

"Just in time, too! You're time here has just expired. Thank you. Have a nice day!"

We left for the nearest store, which happened to be a clothes store.

"Why is everything so…Gothic Lolita?" Meagan said with frustration once we were inside.

I stopped by a black frilly skirt and checked the tag. As soon as I saw the name, I immediately let go and wiped my fingers on Meagan, trying to get the germs off. She looked at me with confusion.

"It's Misa's clothing line!"

Meagan widened her eyes. "Well don't wipe it on me! You'll give me a disease!" She stepped back and started walking in the other direction. "So we _are_ in the Death Note world…." She sighed. "I'm gonna be over here if anyone needs me."

"Yes! I knew it!" Marichka fist pumped the air and ran off to find clothes.

"Ok. Let's see what else they have here." I couldn't find many pants for woman. Just skirts. Everywhere I went. Skirts. Skirts. More and more skirts. I started to get frustrated after a while.

_There is no way in hell I'm wearing something that short!_

I grabbed a few decent skirts here and there. I finally found some jeans and I grabbed some shirts as well along with a white jacket. I got a few other accessories too, such as scarves, gloves, shoes, and anything else that Marichka or Meagan would forget to buy for themselves.

It took me ten minutes to find what I needed and went up to the desk. I paid for my things and waited at the entrance for Meagan and Marichka.

No more than five minutes had passed before Marichka came with her wardrobe in hand. Meagan followed behind her, with an angry look on her face. They paid for their clothes and made their way towards me.

"What's wrong with her?" I pointed at Meagan.

"She had a tough time finding jeans," Marichka answered.

"So did I, but I found some."

"_Trade me!_" Meagan demanded and gave me a death glare.

"What'd you get?"

"Not jeans," Marichka smiled and let me look inside the bag. There were a few skirts with leggings and other fashion items.

I sighed. "You know, we could have just gone to another store…"

"Most of the stores in Tokyo are the same, nowadays. This is looks like one of the plainest stores in this city. This is the best we could do."

"Why'd you buy them if you didn't want them?"

"I was gonna trade with you cause you seemed to know where everything was and I didn't feel like looking." Meagan took her bag from Marichka and we walked out the door.

"Fine. But I'd better be allowed to wear them, too. I'm not wearing skirts the entire time we're here." I stated in an business-like tone.

We stepped out onto the sidewalk and journeyed down the street.

"Where are we gonna stay while we're here?" I asked. The time that was mysteriously booked for us at the last hotel had expired, and we were now wandering the streets with shopping bags.

"I don't know we'll figure that out later. Did you guys get backpacks?" Marichka asked us.

"Yeah," we both replied.

"Good."

We stopped at the park and unloaded the few things we bought into our backpacks and split up the money evenly. We went into store's dressing rooms and changed into our Japanese clothes so we wouldn't look suspicious. This all took about an hour because the money was already divided and the next clothing store was a few blocks away. When all of this was done, we began to explore the city of Tokyo.

"So here we are!" Marichka exclaimed. Her clothes fit her style. She wore a black jacket and a red T-shirt along with black plants that had a chain hanging from the belt loops.

Meagan had a regular black sweatshirt with blue jeans. I had a white sweatshirt and blue jeans as well. We dressed plainly since the store we went to didn't have much variety.

"Yep. Here we are," Meagan sighed and her eyes rested on the street.

"Now what?" I asked impatiently.

I bumped into someone. "Sorr-Marichka, why did you stop?" She seemed to be frozen to the spot. Marichka had a look of shock and amazement on her face.

"K…K…L…Luh…Kuhu…" Marichka was stuttering. It looked like she was about ready to drool.

"What's wrong?" Meagan asked from behind me.

"I don't know. She won't ans-"

I finally realized who she was looking at.

It was none other than Light Yagami.

"…….Lah….Lah….Kah..."

I gave Meagan a worried look and the expression on her face was no different. How she managed to pick Light out from all the people walking around was beyond me, but she'd done it.

What Marichka had said next, though, made my eyes widen with horror.

"KIRA!!!"

**Well, that's Marichka for you. Screaming "KIRA!" on a crowded street in Tokyo. Haha I wonder what's gonna happen next! Wait…I'm the writer…uuuuummmmm…..**

**R&R**


	4. Ketsueki's Return

**Next chapter's up! Yeah! Things are going to get…interesting from here on out. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I don't own anything here except Ketsueki and my original characters. Well…I don't OWN them…well…I do, but… ugh! You know what I mean. Just read…**

"_KIRA!"_

Meagan's head snapped up and looked at Marichka with wide eyes. "Shit!"

My hand slapped over Marichka's mouth before she could say anything else, and pulled her away from the sidewalk and into an alleyway. Meagan was pushing the Kira supporter along, frantic to get out of the situation she was put in.

But just before we disappeared into the alleyway, I caught a glimpse of Light's face. His narrow eyes were widened with shock and he had stopped walking. His body was half turned on the spot and his face portrayed fear.

"Thanks for blowing our cover! YOU IDIOT!" I scolded the 15 year old, shaking her shoulders back and forth violently. She seemed to snap out of it as soon as I started screaming, and gave me an 'I can't believe I just did that' look.

"Why is this a bad thing?" Marichka now held a look of confusion.

"Do you want to get killed? Now that Light knows that you know he's Kira, he'll kill you!"

"How do you know that?"

"Have you _not _seen the series? He's going to view you as an obstacle now! One that he needs to get out of the way as soon as possible!"

"He doesn't have the shinigami eyes, so he doesn't know my real name."

"Uh, guys…I think we should get out of here, you know, just in case Light tries to catch up with us and start asking questions…?" Meagan threw in.

"Good idea! We can discuss this when there aren't any witnesses around! COME!" I commanded Marichka as I grabbed her shoulder sleeve roughly and dragged her along.

We went in the opposite direction in which we came and found a park. Meagan was in the lead, and decided to stop there and sit on a nearby bench. There were only a few people roaming the streets and the park was nearly deserted.

"Ok, you wanna tell me what the hell you just did back there?" I asked Marichka.

"Look, it was an accident. It's not everyday you come across your idol," she stated with dreamy eyes.

"This is a problem. He knows that we know his secret. He's gonna kill us! Either that, or he'll try to manipulate us. But why would he do that? We're not that smart, so we can't be that much help to him."

"I can too be of help to him! I have my Death Note!" Marichka stated happily, only to frown and widen her eyes. "My Death Note! I don't have it!" She looked like she was gonna die of a heart attack, and I'm not talking about one from Kira. "What am I gonna do?" She searched her backpack in panic.

"Smooth, Sherlock. Is it even in this world?" I wondered out loud, my anger and panic fading quickly.

"I don't know! I remember holding it before I blacked out in Meagan's room…" When she had no luck finding her Death Note, she turned to Meagan and me.

"Check your backpacks! It could be anywhere!"

I sighed and rummaged through my bag. I came up with nothing as well as Meagan.

"Nobody here had their cell phone in their pocket when they got transported, did you?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"No." Meagan threw her backpack over her shoulder and looked up at the sky.

"Why are you worried about cell phones when I lost my Death Note?" Marichka shouted indignantly.

"Just a random thought." _We could have called for help…Not like anyone can help us now._

"Get your priorities straight!"

"Hey, I wonder if I have my Ipod…"

"HELLO? DEATH NOTE?" Marichka's face was red with panic and her eyes were the size of saucers.

"Oh, right…fine…" I sighed looked from side to side. "What do you want me to do? If it's not here, it's not here. SOL," I shrugged. "For all you know, it's not even in this world." I began to search through my backpack again.

"What is _wrong _with you?" Marichka asked me with wide eyes, referring to my mood swing.

"Hey! I found it!" 

"WHERE?"

"In my jeans pocket!" I said with a smile.

"Give it here!"

"No! It's mine!" I said as I brought the object close to my chest protectively.

"YE- Wait a minute! I thought you were talking about my Death Note!"

"No…I was talking about my Ipod…"

"MATSUDA, YOU IDIOT!"

"It's not my fault you thought it was something else!"

"Guys! If Marichka did have the Death Note when we came here, and she never brought it with us, then it's still back at the hotel!" Meagan had a look of annoyance on her face as she was stating the obvious.

"Oh…then we should go back to the hotel and see if it's there," I suggested.

"Idiots…You guys need to stop having your little panic attacks and start thinking straight…" Meagan shook her head and grabbed Marichka's hood, pulling her along. "We need to hurry. Someone else would have checked into our old room by now. If whoever is in that room got their hands on the Death Note, we could have a problem."

"If that's true and we can't find them, then there's really nothing we can do…" I followed my two friends down the street, towards the direction of the hotel.

"What do you mean someone's checked in?"

"Well, this is a popular hotel. I'm not surprised…"

"They just checked in an hour ago."

"When will they check out?"

"I can't give out that information."

"But I need my notebook!"

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. You are responsible for your own belongings."

"Don't give me that crap!"

"Give it up, Marichka. We just have to find some other way to get that notebook back."

Marichka huffed and stepped away from the counter, giving the secretary a dirty look. I rolled my eyes and waved my hand for her to follow me outside.

Meagan was waiting outside, leaning against the wall in the shade. "Any luck?"

"None." I walked over to Meagan with Marichka in tow and heaved a sigh. "Someone's checked in, alright. Surprise, surprise. We're gonna have to wait."

"Mk." Meagan took out an apple from her bag.

"Where do we stay in the meantime?" Marichka's question rang through my head as we made our way to the deserted park.

"There should be another hotel around here somewhere. If it all comes down to it, we can always stay here," I pointed the park where we had just arrived. "We would have to avoid the police, though."

Marichka gave me a look. "You're stupid."

I blinked twice. "It's only a suggestion."

"It's a stupid idea. We have money…we can use it."

"I know that. I meant if we can't find anywhere else to go."

"It's Tokyo! There's bound to be something here, you idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"You BOTH are idiots!" Marichka and I turned to look at Meagan, whose apple was half-eaten and her eyes glinted with annoyance. "Just check back in at the hotel we were just at."

…..

"I swear, you guys can be so dense sometimes…"

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" I asked her.

"I wanted to see how long it'd take for you to figure it out yourselves, but nnnnooooooo! Meagan has to come save the day once again." Meagan rolled her eyes. "Come on. Now we have to go _all the way _back!"

"Sorry...my brain is scattered. I need to sleep to clear it…I mean, nothing makes sense!" I face palmed and shook my head violently, loosing millions of brain cells in the process.

"It doesn't take much sense to- nevermind…" Meagan shook her head and sighed in defeat.

"Well, I'm going to have to agree with Amanda on that one. We just got transported to the Death Note world, and we've already met Light. I'm not surprised she can't think straight after seeing him in person!" Marichka squealed and jumped like a fan girl.

I gazed at the ground, staring at it unbelievingly. "We didn't _meet _Light. You screamed 'Kira' at him, and we dragged you away," My eyes now rested on Marichka, and she was staring at me indignantly.

"Yeah-thanks for enlightening me!"

"Let's not start this again." Meagan grabbed my hair and Marichka's jacket, pulling us along.

Marichka laughed at me teasingly. "She grabbed your hair and not mine!"

"That can be arranged." Meagan then grabbed Marichka's short hair and pulled.

"OW! That hurts!"

"I need to get you guys leashes."

"Well, we're back where we started."

"Except this is a different room, and we don't have the Death Note."

"Well, the room looks the same." I curled up on my bed.

"But still, no Death Note." Marichka was staring at the floor, starting to get lost in her thoughts.

"Now what?" Meagan leaned against the frame of the large window, looking out over Tokyo.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

_Hey…That's the same chill I felt when I met-_

"Boo."

"AH!" I leaped back from the dangerously close voice. Right beside my bed, crouched none other than Ketsueki.

"Ketsueki!" Marichka jumped off her bed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

The shinigami crackled. "You haven't been here long and you've already lost your Death Note." Ketsueki held up a black notebook.

"Hey! Is that Marichka's Death Note?" Meagan questioned curiously, now moving to the shadowy corner of the room.

"Yes, it is. But I'm only doing it for you this once. Lose it again, and you'll have to get it back yourself…" He threw the book to Marichka, who caught it eagerly and hugged it to her chest. The sight of excitement was then replaced with wariness.

"What's in it for you?"

Ketsueki's smile widened. "Now, now, now. A shinigami can't do a nice thing every once in a while?"

"Not without payment. What do you want?" Marichka eyed the shinigami suspiciously.

"A good show."

I stared at him, bewildered. "What?"

"I've been so bored, nowadays. Ryuk decided to drop a Death Note on Earth-so I decided hey, why not? I wanted to see what would happen if I threw you guys into the mix with another Death Note."

"Hang on a sec," I held up my hand making a stop sign and brought it to my hair, twirling the shorter piece of hair that went down to my shoulders. "Why us?"

"It's simple, really. You guys know what's going to happen, so-"

"So you want us to get involved with the plot?" I finished.

"Yes. That's what I intended for you to do."

"Well, thanks for the offer, but I think we'll pass."

"Dededuh!" Marichka looked at me disbelievingly. "I didn't say anything!"

"We're not getting involved with the plot!"

"Oh, but you already have." We all stared at Ketsueki as he said this.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Your little friend here had that Kira incident, remember?" He smiled knowingly.

"How do you know about that?"

"I've been hangin around."

"So that's all you want us to do? Meddle with the plot?"

"I'm just looking for a little fun."

"Is that your only Death Note?"

"Yes, it is."

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"How did you get us here to the Death Note world anyway? I thought you said you couldn't transport us without something happening?"

"I took the risk."

"Uh…thanks…" I gave Ketsueki a disgusted look and grabbed the television remote off of the nightstand next to my bed. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna relax."

"Thanks for the money, by the way." Marichka nodded towards the shinigami. She didn't ask how Ketsueki got the money, nor did anyone else. We really didn't want to know.

I pushed the 'on' button on the remote. A white screen and an English black L appeared.

_Oh shit…_

Words made from many voices boomed through the speakers.

"_Listen to me, Kira. If you did indeed kill Lind L. Taylor, the man who you just saw die on television, I should tell you that he was an inmate whose execution was scheduled for today. That was not me."_

"It's L!" I stared at the screen with amazement as more words echoed through the room.

"_The police arrested him in absolute secrecy so you wouldn't have heard about him on TV or the internet. It appears that not even you can access the information about these types of criminals."_

I was now on the floor, on my hands and knees, my eyes glued to the screen with admiration.

"Well, now we know where we are in the story," I heard Marichka say.

"_But I assure you, L IS real. I DO exist. Now…try to kill ME!"_

"I hate this part."

"Of course you do. L's taunting Kira-and winning! GO L!" I fist pumped the air.

"Shut up!"

"_What's wrong? Come on, right now! Kill me!"_ The man named L continued to rant. I heard some shuffling behind me and I turned to Marichka. She had her Death Note out, a pen at the ready.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Killing L!" My eyes widened.

"_Well Kira, it seems that you can't kill me after all." _

"We'll see about that, L Lawliet!"

"Oh, no you don't!" I lunged for the Death note, missing Marichka by a few centimeters.

There was no reason to ask why she would do it. If she got her way and killed L, the police will think that Kira can kill without using a name. They will eventually think that Kira is unstoppable and they're less likely to figure out that he needs a name and a face to kill.

I tried to grab the pen, and Marichka turned around trying to run. I leaped onto her back, reaching for the pen, but I was unsuccessful. She had thrown the pen to the other side of the room. _Wait, why would she…? _I then noticed the words on a page of the Death Note. They were freshly written, and they spelled out none other than L's true name.

_L Lawliet_

Marichka was already on the other side of the room holding the Death Note. I shut my eyes and covered my ears. I expected to hear a thud of some sort coming from the speaker. The sound of L dropping dead. But instead, I heard Marichka.

"What the hell's going on here?" She was staring at the Death Note with horror and her mouth agate.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, now very angry and having the urge to kill the Death Note holder.

"Ketsueki! What's wrong with this thing?" I was faintly curious as to what she was talking about, and rose from the floor, stepping closer. Marichka made no move to run away. Instead, she shoved it in my face as soon as I reached her. "I wrote his name! I wrote it! I swear I did!"

"What are you talking about? Of course you did! I saw it on the page! So what's the problem? You got what you wanted!" I snapped at her, once again.

"HIS NAME'S NOT THERE!"

"What?"

"I wrote his name! It's not here anymore!" Marichka raced to grab her pen and scribbled L's name on the page once more.

"Hey! What are you-" I stopped as I noticed something was wrong. The words that were written in the Death Note slowly started to disappear. Within only a few seconds, the name was gone, as if it was never written there in the first place. "What the hell was that all about?" I turned to Ketsueki.

"Explain!" Marichka was getting frustrated now and her expression clearly showed frustration.

"Hehehe…oops…"

"What do you mean, oops?" I eyed the shinigami.

"It appears there was a side effect after all."

"Side effect to what?"

"Taking you to this realm."

"Explain, please."

Ketsueki sighed and stood from his crouch beside the bed. "Humans have a spiritual connection to life and death. Since your connection was broken, you can't use the Death Note because it's connected with Death itself. If you die in this realm, you will not be able to go to Heaven or Hell."

"So we go to nothingness?" Marichka asked.

"Why, yes. That's correct. And since you don't have a spiritual connection, I can't see your lifespan, Marichka."

"Can you see mine and Meagan's?" I asked.

"Yes."

"So Meagan and I still have our spiritual connection, which means we can use the Death Note."

"Yep. That's right. I'm not sure what else has gone wrong when transporting you. For all we know, there could be something wrong with you or Meagan…"

"Ok, now what are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that if Marichka doesn't have a spiritual connection and you guys do, there could be something wrong with you as well."

"But you just said that we had our connection!"

"I mean something else."

"What kind of something else?"

"I'm not sure yet. I should warn you to be more careful from now on, though. You could be completely normal…or you could have some sort of inhuman power or disease. A shinigami I know threw a human to another universe a few centuries back. His lifespan started to change drastically every few seconds. He would have five seconds left to live, then he would have five years."

It was then that I had noticed the television was on and the black English L had disappeared while we were talking. "Aw! We missed it!"

"I didn't," I heard Meagan from the corner of the room, smiling wickedly.

"Anything new?"

"No. Same words as in the anime."

I turned to Ketsueki again as Marichka began to speak. "Is there anything else wrong with me?"

Ketsueki scanned her from head to toe and laughed. "I don't know. I'm no expert on this. I just thought you might want to know that if I, a shinigami, can't see your lifespan, then you obviously can't use the Death Note. It is of no use to you now."

"Don't take it away from me!" Marichka hugged her Death Note and backed away towards the door.

"Who said anything about taking it? Things just got a little bit more…interesting."

**DONE! Next chapter's gonna be up…I don't know when! Not sure what I want to do for the next one…so many ideas…Well, hang in there! I won't take too long. ONWARD! TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! **

**R&R…blah blah blah. Do what you want. **


	5. Fatal Meetings

**Next chapter! I'm not going to lie to you. I didn't post this sooner because I was lazy and I didn't feel like writing. Writer's block got in the way a bit. Not because 'time got the best of me' or because 'I was piled up with homework.' Just sheer laziness. Well on that happy note, onto the story! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I only own Ketsueki and my OC characters. That's all so…yeah…**

"So what're we doing here?" Meagan asked impatiently. It was around 7:00 at night and the lamp lights were on in our hotel room. Marichka was in denial from not being able to use the Death Note, and I was relieved that she couldn't use it. If she could, it would be the end of many lives. Meagan was bored, as usual. Ketsueki was in a far corner of the room close to the door. For the past few hours, we've been doing absolutely nothing-either out of fear or laziness.

"Why don't we go jump off a building?"

"Marichka, why would we do that?" I was leaning up against the frame of my bed on top of my blankets and Marichka was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room that was beside a small, grey lamp on top of a small table.

"Because we're better off!" she whined. I covered my ears in hopes that I would block out her nonsense. Then I thought of my Ipod that I had just discovered when we were at the park. I brought it out of my sweatshirt pocket. It had a blue cover with a hole to the side, made for a chain to put around one's belt loop. I remembered when I had taken out the chain and put a string through it so I could hang it around my neck. I did just that and put in my headphones, letting the music blast into my eardrums. It startled me a bit, causing me to jump, and turned it down.

"I can't believe you listen to that crap…" Marichka stared at me with disgust as the band Cascada started to play. "Now, Phantom of the Opera! That's _real _music." I smirked at Marichka's remark and turned the music up a bit louder, blocking out any further conversation she was trying to make with me.

I began to get wrapped up in my thoughts.

_So we're already involved in this whole thing…all thanks to Marichka! If only she would've just shut her trap...What's gonna happen now? _

My eyes wondered to Meagan in thought.

_We need to avoid the characters at all costs if we don't want to get killed. So let's see here…Since L made his little broadcast today, that would mean we are somewhere in episode 2. If I can remember the timeline correctly…it should be somewhere in December…December…..5__th__? Yeah. That's it, I'm sure of it! Now…what comes next? A few days later, the 23 victims in prison die one by one…L and Light don't meet until sometime in January, and they officially meet sometime in April…right? Ugh, that's so far away! In the anime, things go by faster than the manga, don't they? No…this is definitely the anime. Great! We have to hide from the world for over three months! No doubt about it-Light's gonna be after us now that he knows that we know he's Kira…_

"Can I help you with something?" I snapped out of my thoughts as soon as Meagan said this. She had managed to say it loud enough over my music and she was staring at me intently.

"Sorry…just thinking."

"About what?" I turned my music down.

"Where we are in the plotline. Right now, we're in episode 2. It's December 5, 2003. Sometime in mid January, L and Light see each other at the university exam hall. Later on-in April-Light and L officially meet and introduce themselves. They play the tennis match and got to the café on April 7th."

"Well, haven't we brushed up on our research lately?"

I turned my head to give Marichka a glare. "An obsession can come in handy at a time like this."

"By the way, if this is the anime, don't Light and L see each other for the first time and meet for the tennis match on the same day?"

"No. Remember that there was a time when L got into that nice car and drove off." Meagan nodded in remembrance, and I started twirling my hair as I began to be consumed by my thoughts once again.

"Why are you thinking about this anyway? I thought you didn't want to get involved in the story." Marichka eyed me carefully and I looked at her.

"I don't. That's why I'm trying to think of who goes where and when so we don't run into them. There's a high possibility that Light's gonna try to find us and kill us because he knows that we know he's Kira."

"You do realize that Ketsueki's not going to take us back to our world until we meet the characters and screw things up, right?" Meagan raised an eyebrow knowingly.

"Yeah, the thought had crossed my mind. We can't interfere, though. It's way too risky. We would get killed as soon as we set foot in the Task Force's sights."

"But that's the fun of it all!" Marichka slowly rose from her chair and smiled. "Wouldn't you want to meet L? That would be the coolest thing if we met the characters! I could meet Light again!" Her eyes shined with images of her fantasy.

"Yeah…I don't think so. We can't meet L or Light."

"Why not?"

"Because we can't! If I were to meet L, then you would eventually meet Light. You would go running to Light when no one's around and list everyone's name so Kira can kill them. I would just be leading L to his death." I said with sad eyes.

"He's going to die anyway, so it doesn't matter." Marichka rolled her eyes at my statement.

"It will matter when Near dies and Light wins! I'm not just concerned for L, but for Near and the other Wammy kids as well!"

"Mello and Matt die, too."

"I know that! But Near would still be able to live!"

"Oh, so you're doing this all for Near?"

"Well, at least that's a life worth saving."

"Near doesn't need to live! He's so annoying and he didn't even do anything to solve the case. It was all Mello."

"And Matt!" Meagan put in, strangely enthusiastic.

"The point I'm trying to get across is that Near will solve many cases that can help the world in the future. And Light is only going to kill everyone!"

"Everyone who is bad!"

"Marichka, that's like…80% of the world's population! You can't truly get rid of evil! It will always be here…"

"Not when Light becomes God of the new world!"

"He won't succeed. He didn't in the story!"

"That's because Mikami screwed up!" Marichka exclaimed indignantly.

"It's Light's fault for choosing Mikami in the first place."

"Doesn't matter."

"It does matter. If Light chose somebody else, then-"

"-they would have failed."

"And Mikami failed. Light chose to trust him in the first place, so it's Lights fault. End of story."

"NOT end of story! Light would have won!"

"Don't kill each other, now. I still need someone to rule the world with me," Meagan warned us. Ruling the world was a childhood dream we each had before the three of us met, and we still keep it alive, even though we've never actually strived for it. It was more of a…play dream. A dream we know that's never going to happen, but we laugh about it anyway and say that we will someday.

"Fine." I swung my head to the side, but not before I stuck my tongue out at Marichka.

"You're such a child…" Marichka turned sharply on her heel and walked back to her seat, sitting down roughly on the chair.

"This is going to be a long night." Meagan stared up at the ceiling, smiling with content.

It's been a few weeks since then. Meagan pointed out that our money was going to run out eventually, so we've had to get jobs. Since we weren't in America, jobs for kids our age were hard to come by. After much time of searching, Marichka got a job at a coffee shop, but they didn't have any other hiring spots open. Because of this, I had gotten a job at a candy store across the street, much to my delight. Meagan's job…well…we didn't know exactly. She refused to give out any information on the subject. She disappeared during the day, and Marichka and I didn't see her until we got off work. I made a mental note to call in sick and follow her one day.

Marichka had wanted to get an apartment so we didn't have to stay in the hotel we were at, but I insisted we stayed in order to save the money we were running out of. I had gotten a laptop for us all to share and each of us bought our own cell phone just in case we were ever separated. Christmas wasn't all that bad. We didn't have a Christmas tree or anything like that, but we gave presents. I had been given some puzzles, a Rubik's cube, chocolate, and strawberries. Meagan received shiny necklaces, chocolate and apples. Marichka was given potato chips and random video games which she played on her Nintendo DS most of the time. She had found her DS shortly after one of our daily fights in her old jeans back pocket. Marichka was also given a shiny new pen by yours truly, reminding Marichka of the Death Note she could never use _with _that shiny new pen. I enjoyed that little breakdown.

We had created aliases for ourselves-you know-for protection from Kira and L just in case we were to ever run into them. It took awhile to search the internet for names, but we managed to scrape up a few Japanese names and their meanings. Marichka's name was Shai Tamaki. 'Shai' wasn't Japanese. It was actually Marichka's middle name and it was a name of…the Greek, maybe? I wasn't paying attention during that conversation, but it means savior. 'Tamaki' means bracelet. I didn't quite understand the bracelet part, but the name had a nice ring to it. Meagan's name was Kaida Amaya. 'Kaida' means little dragon and 'Amaya' means night rain. It fit her well. The little dragon emphasized her occasional snapping personality and night rain fit her because she loved the dark and the rain. If she had the choice, she would be a nocturnal. My name from then on was Masako Nagawa. 'Masako' means justice, 'Naga' means eternal, and 'wa' means peace and harmony. Those names and meanings seemed to appeal to me and they fit me pretty well. Our next task was to _remember _our names.

It was April 7th. It was _that_ day. The day Light and L would play the tennis match. The day L would give Light the deductive skills test. The day that would change everything.

I was in one of my happy, bubbly moods, standing at the coffee shop counter watching Shai work. It was quite amusing watching her struggle with the machines, so this is what I did every day during my lunch break. She would turn and snap at me, and when I would leave, I would say 'lunch break well spent' with a smile on my face. This time, though, things turned out differently than the ordinary days we had. It was April 7th, after all.

"Stop laughing at me!" Shai was struggling with the coffee machine, trying to remember which buttons to push and what levers to pull.

I laughed harder and pointed at the machine. "It's the lever on the left."

"Don't tell me how to do my job!" She pulled the lever as I suggested, and coffee came pouring out of the opening and into the pitcher. I wasn't sure what it was called, and I didn't really care. I didn't work there anyway, so it didn't matter. I've decided that I should start learning where everything was, though. Shai didn't seem like she knew how to work anything so I may as well learn myself so I could rub it in her face later when I tell her where things are. Such as now.

Shai raised an eyebrow and turned to me with frustration. "Go back to your candy, already."

"Nope. I think I'm gonna stay here and watch you suffer," I said with a smile. Shai lifted the pitcher and began pouring, giving me the evil eye. The door to the shop opened and Shai's eyes widened, staring at who had just come in. I turned around to see a brown-haired young man come in with a scruffy black-haired man with a serious slouching issue.

Something scorching made its way to my hand on the counter and I almost screamed in pain. Shai had kept the pitcher in the same position as before, making no attempt to lift it as the coffee overflowed from the cup. Her mouth was agate and she seemed to be in a trance, her eyes grew larger.

"Shai! That hurts!" I grabbed the pitcher from her, but she was still in her shocked state. I waved my hand in front of her face rapidly, but my attempts proved to be futile. I slapped her across the face lightly, and she finally snapped out of it.

"What? D-Did just what I see just you saw?" Shai shook her head violently, trying to clear it. "I mean, did you just see what I just saw?"

They were walking towards us now. Shai gave a small 'squee' and ducked behind the counter.

"What are you doing?"

"They're coming!"

Light and L were at the counter now. Light caught a glimpse of Shai. "Excuse me."

Shai slowly raised her head from the counter and smiled, laughing nervously. "Uh, yes?"

Light gave her a shocked look. No doubt about it. He remembers her.

Light recovered quickly, though. "We would like some coffee, please."

"Oh, yes. Of course." Shai had surprisingly regained her composure and had a calm expression on her face.

"Four sugar cubes with mine, please." L had said.

Shai gave him her famous 'bite me' look, but obeyed. I laughed at her sudden change of expression.

"What?" She demanded.

"Nothing…" I shook my head and turned toward Light and L. Light was staring at Shai with wariness in his eyes, but his expression was calm. I'll admit it: I was nervous. If Shai were to get into this mess, I would be dragged into it as well. We would have to outsmart _geniuses_. That wasn't on top of my to-do list. My eyes then rested on L. My favorite character. The smartest guy in the series, as the writers had put it. His eyes seemed calculating.

_What's he thinking about?_

I then realized he was staring at _me _with those calculating eyes. I blinked and thought about looking at Shai again, but I wasn't going to go down thateasily. I held his stare.

_He's not suspecting me of something already, is he? What did I do now? _

I gave him a warm smile, and it seemed that I had won, for his eyes traveled to Shai who gave them their coffee. "Thanks." Light said. And with that, they left for their booth.

Shai sighed with dreamy eyes. "He's drinking the coffee I poured for him…"

"Get over yourself." I rolled my eyes. Though, I was secretly excited. This was the most fun I've ever had in my life, and we didn't even officially meet the characters yet.

She cleared her throat. "Oh, right. Sorry. I need to be professional about this."

"Yeah. So don't you pull anything!"

"But, I-"

"_Absolutely nothing,_" I hissed at her. I knew she wasn't going to listen.

"It's my lunch break!" Shai exclaimed excitedly. She took off her apron and threw it on the hook. She turned to the girl that had just come in, probably to take over Shai's shift. "Go nuts." And with that, she walked towards where L and Light were about to sit. That is, until I stopped her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Interfering?"

"Let it go."

"Why?"

"Because we've worked too hard to stay away from everyone! After everything we've done! You're just gonna walk right up to them?"

"Uh…yeah?" Shai gave me a look that told me I was stupid and that I needed to catch on to things quicker.

"If you're going to do something, you should go find Meagan. She wouldn't want to miss anything."

Shai thought for a moment and sighed. "Make sure they don't leave!"

"Fine," I agreed.

"And don't you pull anything, either!" She shouted indignantly.

"Fine, fine! Now keep it down…"

Shortly after, I walked to the closest booth to L and Light's, sitting where they couldn't see me. I was still very far away, but I had sharp hearing, so I could slowly make out what they were saying.

"-in the area. And if we sit here, there's no chance of anyone overhearing us." Light was saying.

_Haha. Suckers! _I smiled evilly as L started to speak.

"Thanks for showing me this place. I can see why you like it."

"Not to mention we're so out of the way here that no one's going to give you a hard time about the way you sit."

"I don't sit like this because I want to, I have to sit like this. You see, if I were to sit normally, my deductive skills would immediately be reduced by roughly 40%. So…what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Right. I'm sure that can wait until you're convinced that I'm not Kira. So please, let's talk about whatever you want to..."

Light caught a glimpse of Shai on her way out and panic crossed his face. He slowly rose from his seat. "I'm sorry to be so rude and leave all of a sudden, but I forgot that I needed to run a very important errand." He quickly glanced out the window again, Shai was getting further and further away.

L looked either surprised, disappointed, frustrated, or all three, but nodded in understanding. "Alright, then. We should do this again soon. It was quite enjoyable."

"Yes. Thank you for understanding. Let's meet again soon!" He made his way outside in a rush. Probably to catch up with Shai.

_Well that was short. Just wait till Shai finds out who's tailing her…Should I stop them? _It was then that I noticed L. _This could be my only chance. Shai's going to get cornered by Light, no doubt. What if she gives him L's real name? _

L was still sitting at his seat with his thumb to his lips, making no attempt to leave. I heaved a sigh and slowly stood up.

_If Shai's going to get involved, then I have to help protect L and the Wammy kids. There's something I can do about this, and I'm not going to let Shai win. _I began to slowly walk forward. _I can do this. Don't fall for his tricks. Stay calm. Don't let him know who you really are._

I walked up beside him with my hands behind my back. I leaned over and smiled a cheerful smile. "Hello there." I was surprised that there was no hint of my low monotone in my voice, but I guess it was because I was nervous.

He looked up at me with a slightly surprised reaction. "Hello."

_Shit! Way to go! You should've really thought about what you were going to say before you approached him! MASAKO, YOU IDIOT!_

"You all done here?" I asked him, nothing but happiness on my face.

He gave me a suspicious look. "Why would you want to know that?"

I started to panic, but I calmed down as soon as the feeling arose. I couldn't let him get any reaction out of me. "Isn't that what employees do here? Clean up after people and ask them if they want anything else?" _Close call…_

"Hm…I guess you're right. But you aren't wearing the required uniform. And if you were working here, you would already know."

The voice inside my head began scolding me once more. _You don't work here, remember? Come up with something, and fast!_

"I'm taking over for a friend. She had to leave." I could see that L wasn't convinced.

"I see…Then, that'll be all."

I expected him to get up and leave, but he stayed where he was. His thumb was still to his lips, staring me down.

I smiled warmly again. "I haven't seen you around this place before, or anywhere for that matter. Are you new in this part of the city?"

He gave me a wary look. "No. I have never come to this place. I was only here for a meeting."

I nodded in understanding. "Oh." I let a look of disgust cross my face for a second, and let it slowly disappear. "You mean with Light Yagami?" I know. It was a stupid move. What do I tell him now?

"Yes. Is there something wrong?" He sensed my brief anxiety, which I've created as a cover up.

"Nothing really. I guess it's just that…he seems kind of…" I searched for the right words. "…dangerous." Maybe that was going over the top.

"What makes you say that?" L said with curiosity.

"I don't know. It's a gut feeling, really. I just can't shake this feeling off that he has something to do with….." I intentionally stopped and shook my head. "Nothing. Never mind…"

"No, it's alright. You can tell me."

Yes. I definitely went over the top on that one. Maybe L won't notice?

_He's the three greatest detectives in the world! Of course he won't notice! _My head voice shouted sarcastically.

"I can't shake this feeling off that he has something to do with Kira." There. I said it. No way of backing out of this now.

"Why are you telling me this?"

_He got you there._

"I'm just warning you. You seem like a good person and Light always seems to be alone, so I've never really had to warn anyone about him. I just recently had the feeling that he's hiding something dangerous from the world. Something's off about him…" I let my voice trail off again.

L stared at me with surprise but his face was still emotionless. "Hm…well, thank you for your concern, but I think I'll be just fine."

"Oh! I'm Masako, by the way. Nagawa Masako. It's nice to meet you!" I said with a warm smile, once again.

"Hideki Ryuga." He smiled back, but I could tell that his expression was fake. He was on his guard now. I then took a good look at him and giggled. "What is so humorous?" He asked innocently.

"Oh, nothing. It's just the way you sit." L gave me a blank look. "Don't take that the wrong way! I just find it funny cause I sit like that sometimes." He now gave me a fully surprised look, face and all.

"Really? What is your reason?"

_That's easy. _

"Cause if I were to sit normally, my deductive skills would decrease by about 40%. Of course, I only sit like that only when I truly want to figure something out." He stared at me with interest and I looked at the clock.

_You're late! Way to go, Masako!_

"Uh oh! I'd better go! My lunch break was over a few minutes ago!"

"Where do you work?" L asked.

"The candy store down the street. The manager won't be happy with me…Hey, I'll see you later, Ryuga! Take it easy!" I smiled and waved, dashing for the door. I felt his eyes on me as I exited the shop. Before I left, though, I heard his cell phone ring.

_That must be Watari. That's right! Light's father had a heart attack! _

I looked down the street. Shai and Light were gone and out of sight. I stood there for a few seconds and made my way to the candy shop. I knew that if Shai and Light got acquainted, then Shai might be allowed to visit the hospital with Light. Maybe. The chances of that happening were about 35%, though. There was still a chance. My thoughts then wandered back to L, Watari, the Wammy kids, and everyone else that would die because of Light.

_Alright, Marichka. I'll play your little game. You help Kira. I help L. I'll see you on the other side…_I smiled with mischief and excitement.

_The race is on. _

**And there you have it! This one was kind of hard to write cause I wasn't sure how L would react to my statements and questions. I had to watch numerous episodes over and over to figure him out. Anyway, let me know what you think. Is everyone staying in character? Well, besides Masako of course. She's bipolar, remember? XD **

**If I made any mistakes or something doesn't make sense, let me know cause this is Death Note and if you're reading about geniuses it's kind of hard to keep up, even when you're the writer. :)**

**Next chapter's gonna be what happens between Marichka and Light. It's going to be through Marichka's point of view. I'm not sure what else I'm gonna throw in there as well. Guess you'll just have to wait and find out! ;) Love ya and see you guys in the next chapter!**


	6. New World, New Journey

**OMG I must have Writer's Rush today! Here's another chapter for you guys! I'd like to thank my reviewers: MizukiYumeko, Willowofthemoons, and sevviephantom **

**You guys rock! You really know how to keep a person going! Though, most of my motivation comes from wanting to stay alive ** XO **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just my OC characters. Have fun with it, now. **

Shai's Point of View

I was really frustrated. I knew that L and Light wouldn't be at the coffee shop for long, and I knew that Amanda knew that as well. She sent me out to find Meagan on purpose, knowing that when I came back, L and Light would already be gone. Yes. She was sly. But so was I.

Instead of doing what Amanda had told me to do, I walked away slowly from the coffee shop, waiting for Light to walk out.

_What do I say to him? 'Hey, Kira! I know everyone's real name and I can tell you what you need to know because I'm from another universe and this is all just a TV show!' Yeah. I could go with that. _

I kept making sarcastic remarks in my mind, but I mentally slapped myself. _This is serious! What're you going to say?_

I thought for a moment as I continued to walk. What surprised me was that only a few seconds had passed by. I was going to turn in an alleyway once I was a few meters away, but I suddenly stopped.

Someone was watching me.

I started to mentally panic. But mentally slapped myself again. _Don't panic. It's all going to be fine. Just keep walking. For all you know, they aren't even following you._

But they were, and I knew it. It was that feeling of uneasiness that warned me. I continued to walk down the sidewalk, going at a normal pace. _That's right. Not a cautious slow and not a panic fast. Just normal._

I was debating on whether I should turn around and confront the enemy or run away screaming, but I knew that the latter would be cowardice of me. _I don't even know who it is yet._

I could hear Amanda's taunting voice in my head now, singing: 'Marichka's got a stalker! Marichka's got a stalker!'

Shaking the wretched singing away, I walked on. _Ok. I've had about enough of this. I refuse to be followed!_

I made my way to the old, deserted park. It wasn't that deserted anymore, though. It was getting warmer and children were crawling everywhere outside. I disliked children. They were annoying and stupid, not to mention oblivious to the world. Most of them were selfish and they only did things for someone else if they got a reward. Of course, I could tolerate the children in Japan. They were polite, they never bothered me, and they didn't run around screaming 'LOL!' I've come to the conclusion that the word 'HAHAHA' is way more effective. It must be just the American children that are annoying. Yes. That would be correct.

I snapped out of my thoughts as the feeling got stronger. _They're getting closer…_

Ironically, one of my favorite songs popped into my head. Misa's voice started ringing in my ears.

_Be careful what you do_

_Cause God is watching your every move_

I violently shook my head. I loved that song, but right now it was giving me the creeps. I then thought of something.

My head voice started speaking calmly, and with each passing sentence, my voice was giving off more emotion and getting louder.

_Is Light following me? It would make sense…I did scream 'Kira' at him…In that case, he would corner me. He would force information out of me. Or I could give out L's real name and everything would be ok? No. I can't give L's name just yet. Or anyone else's for that matter. He would get suspicious of me. He would demand how I would know such a thing, then I would be in trouble. I need to wait until I gain his trust. I'll tell him that I found out his real name from records or something…I don't know. I can't tell him yet, though. Not yet…But if Light is following me, he would've abandoned L. That meeting they had was too quick. Light just got there! That would mean that Amanda has already talked to L. What did that idiot say? She'd better not have blown our cover! _As soon as I reached my destination, I sat on a bench and awaited my follower's arrival.

_No. She wouldn't have blown our cover. Who else would be following me, though? Wait! I want to have an L moment! There is a 68.9% chance that Light is following me. HAHA! _I felt all giddy and a smile spread across my face, but I quickly forced it to disappear. _Ok. Back to Kira's side. _

_Now…_ I slowly turned my head to my left. _…who are you? _

No one was there. No one. _Damn it! That would have been such an epic scene, what with my thinking process and all! Man, this is nothing like the anime! _I huffed and turned my head sharply to my right. What I didn't expect to see, though, was Light standing a few inches away from the bench, smiling at me.

"Hi," he said.

I was at a loss for words. My head voice started speaking faster and hyperventilating. _What am I supposed to do? Why is he smiling at me? Should I smile back? Is it just a cover up? Of course it is! He's Light! He left the coffee shop. I was right. Amanda talked to L…Light's here! Staring at me! Expecting me to say hi back! What do I do? _I mentally kicked myself. _Uh, Matsuda moment! Say hi back, you moron!_

"Hi."

_That's the best you can come up with? _One voice said.

I started to argue with it. _You told me to say that!_

_Be more creative!_

_I'm trying!_

_You're failing!_

"My name is Light Yagami. I've come to speak with you about something really important. Do you mind walking with me?"

_He's asking me to walk with him! What do I say? It would seem kind of suspicious if I said yes immediately._

_So, fake something!_

_I know! _

I hesitated and looked up at the sky, pretending to think about it.

After a few seconds, I spoke. "Alright." I rose from the bench and we did just what Light asked-we took a walk. It was silent for a moment. It was kind of awkward, really. I expected him to say something important, but that's not what came out of his mouth next.

"So what's your name?"

Ok. Blunt question. That sounds kind of stalkerish, doesn't it?

"Am I obliged to answer?" I asked him warily. I knew that if I did this, he would know that I know he's Kira. That's just what I want.

"Well, no. But I would like to know."

"Why? So you can kill me?" Light gave me a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" There he goes. Acting all innocent. It was kind of cute, actually. Him and his huge, brown, puppy dog eyes. I had my mind on other matters, though.

"You know what I'm talking about." I eyed him knowingly. He just shook his head and sighed.

"Actually, I have to be honest with you. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

I nodded, glad that he was about to tell me that he was Kira.

"A few months ago, you screamed 'Kira' at me."

Ok. Maybe he wasn't going to tell me. _He's just stating the obvious. What's he playing at?_

"No duh, Sherlock." I was slowly gaining confidence during our conversation and mentally smiled at my sarcastic remark. With me, it was panic + anger = irritation. After every mental, emotional, or physical breakdown, my emotions after that were unpredictable. It happens all the time and because of this, my friends had referred to me as 'predictably unpredictable.' That's just how I was.

"Yes, well I want to know why you think I'm Kira."

_Oh, shit! I forgot to think that scenario through! What do I say?_

"You seem…too innocent. There's something off about you. It's just that you have this…Death-like aura coming off of you. It's the exact same feeling I get when I hang around _my_ shinigami." Yep. That's gonna throw him off.

_I might as well slip up about me being a Death Note holder…Here goes…_

Light blinked with surprise and he gave me a calculating look. He was probably deciding whether or not to trust me, and he knew that I knew that if he took too long, it would just add to my suspicion that he was Kira.

"I'm sorry about screaming that word. I guess I tend to panic when I don't get enough sleep. I'm more…alert, you could say. I don't have the eyes. I can't use my Death Note for some reason. My shinigami, Ketsueki, isn't sure what's wrong. He told me that you were a Death Note holder, which is another reason I know that you are, in fact, Kira."

Truth be thought, that was a lie. Ketsueki didn't say it directly. He only said that Ryuk dropped the Death Note. He said nothing about Light Yagami. But Light Yagami doesn't know that. I couldn't tell him about the switching of the universes. It was unimportant and it would only lead to more confusion. I think Ketsueki also said something like telling someone about switching universes is against the rules of the Shinigami Law or something like that. I continued to speak.

"Ketsueki suggested that I find you. He knew Ryuk had dropped a Death Note from the Shinigami Realm, and he looked into you a bit. He said that you had a dream of becoming God of the new world you were going to create."

Light stared at me with wide eyes.

"I was thinking that maybe I could assist you on your quest. I may not be of much help, but I can surely steer you in the right direction when you are incapable of moving. L did reveal his identity to you, right?"

Light was at a loss for words.

_Shit…I should have been slower with this confessing thing...He looks like he's going to hyperventilate!_

Light had panic in his eyes and I smiled. "I'll take that as a yes. So, what do you say?"

He gave me a 'how the hell am I supposed to answer that?' look and nodded. "So you know…"

"Yeah. Sorry I'm dumping all of this on you. I should have really explained things slower. But you're a genius, so you'll figure it out. That's all I know so far, besides all of your previous moves, courtesy of Ketsueki. I'm going to aid you on your quest whether you want my help or not, please keep that in mind. But it's your decision on whether you want me up front or on the sidelines nudging you along."

Light thought for a moment. "First, tell me the reasoning behind your decision." His smile was long gone. It was replaced with a frown, but was matched with curious eyes.

"That's easy to answer. This world is full of people who are just taking up space and causing harm to innocent people. It's about time someone's done something about it." My eyes had narrowed and I felt something stir within me. "But you…you've done something about it. You are passing righteous judgment on others! You have done what no other human has dared to do! You are serving justice! The _right _justice! And I admire you for that reason."

Light went back to his surprised expression, but smiled evilly and his eyes narrowed. "So you agree?"

"Yes. I will fully support you! Though, when you do accomplish your goal, I will ask for only one thing."

"And what is that?"

"Don't kill me."

Light raised an eyebrow. I took this as a 'you're smarter than I thought you were' look.

"I like to live, you know. I'm not asking to become 'Goddess of the New World' or anything. Actually, I wish to be anything _but _that. All I want to do is steer this world in the right direction. I know that you seem like the kind of person to throw away your tools once your job is complete. I will agree to be your tool, but I will not allow you to throw me away. I see no point in doing so. I wouldn't even dream of putting someone as rare as you in danger. As for a precaution, my alias is Shai Tamaki. And one more thing-Don't expect me to fall for your good looks like most stupid girls. I'm not the least bit interested in love at this point in my life. So. How about it?" I asked for what must have been the millionth time.

Light smiled. "This is surprising, no doubt. We seem to be going in the same direction."

I nodded with a knowing smile on my face.

"That settles it, then." He looked down at me as he smiled a happy smile. Not an evil one. A happy one. His innocent one. The one with the big puppy dog eyes. I mentally laughed at that comparison. "You and I. Together, we can create a new world!" I smiled triumphantly with him, and the sun was shining down on us, creating an epic scene, no doubt. Until his cell phone ruined it.

_What is it with these interruptions? _

Light answered his phone and someone was speaking frantically over the phone line. His eyes widened after a few seconds. "My father…He had a heart attack!"

I had to look up with fake surprise. I wasn't supposed to know that that was going to happen. Light exchanged a few words with his mother and hung up. "I have to go to the hospital! My father had a heart attack!"

"I would accompany you, but I need to get back to Ketsueki. Come by the coffee shop at anytime during the day. I'll most likely be there. Stop by sometime and let me know how your father's doing!" I had to shout the last part because he started to run to the hospital.

"Alright! Thank you, Shai!"

I smiled. _He thanked me._

That was actually a pleasant conversation. Now that that was out of the way, I was more uplifted than usual. I made my way down the street in search of Meagan. My lunch break wasn't over for another half hour.

After that half hour had past, there was no sign of Meagan. I gave up and walked back to the coffee shop. I walked through the door and sighed. I was surprised to find Meagan leaning against the wall by the counter.

"Hey, Kaida!" I raised my hand in greeting and walked up to her. "Where were you? I've been scouring the city and you were _no where _to be found," My eyebrows furrowed with irritation, but part of me was glad to see her. I needed someone to tell my story to.

Meagan shrugged. "I've been out and about. So what happened with you and Light?" I was surprised she knew about that, but I didn't ask. Meagan seemed to know what's going on everywhere at this point. Probably with Ketsueki's help. She's been hanging around him a lot lately…

Masako's Point of View 

I had made my way back to the candy shop, giving little kids candy in exchange for their money. They were very nice children. I was not a kids person. I hated kids, really. I'm sure Marichka would agree on that subject. But the ones in Japan were nice, unlike in America where all they do is run around taking candy from other kids. It was a disgrace to the candy code.

It was hard for me to work at the candy store and _not _eat something. I mean, I have my days where I'm chocolate crazy! And they place me in front of all this chocolate and tell me not to eat it, unless I buy some. I was saving my money, though. The hotel we were at was expensive and I have a feeling that it's the same hotel that L would be staying at later. That was the real reason of why I wanted to stay. I would meet L and work with him against Kira. I guess deep down, I knew that Shai would somehow get involved. I had recently realized that I was preparing for this subconsciously.

Now, for the meeting L situation. I wasn't exactly sure if he was going to stop by the candy shop or not. I just hoped that I intrigued his interest to the point where he would go looking for me again so I could help him solve the case.

The one thought that didn't cross my mind before made its way to my brain now.

_What if L puts you under surveillance?_

Damn.

I forgot about that.

I knew that the only reason L came out of hiding to face Kira was because he knew how Kira thought. He knew that he would be safe. But he doesn't know my thought process just yet. He would put me under surveillance, and when he feels that he can confront me, he will. I really didn't want to be watched. I would go nuts. I like my privacy, you know.

I shook the thought away.

_If that becomes a problem, we'd better be careful about what we say. We can't let it slip that we are from another universe and we know what happens next._

My thoughts wandered back to my job. My Ipod was hanging around my neck like it always was, the headphones wrapped around my neck so they didn't fall to the floor. The best thing about my job was that I could sing at the top of my lungs and the manager wouldn't even care. The customers didn't mind. Most of them were kids and they enjoyed the songs I sang. If they knew the song, they would sing along with me. That's mostly the reason why the manager allowed it: because the customers loved it.

I never knew if I was a good singer. I stopped listening to myself sing when I was around ten years old. Everyone had called my singing caterwauling and they would tell me to shut up. Even if they were joking, my family said the same thing. So I always sang quietly in my room with my headphones on, never once hearing myself sing a single note. It was fine with me, although I loved to sing, as long as I had the music to listen to. Since I was here in Japan, and my parents weren't around to tell me what to do, I could sing as loud as I wanted. I would attract a few odd looks here and there, but I've discovered that there were some songs I was good at, and some I weren't. I was mostly good at singing Disney's songs, which I loved. I didn't like the people that were singing the songs, but they had nice voices. I was a very musical person, especially when it came to Disney.

Since I was in my bubbly mood, I was singing at the top of my lungs.

_What's out of place when you look into the mirror?_

_The truth is blurry but the lies are getting clearer_

_Your eyes are fixed, your smile is so elastic_

_You gave me roses but they're all just made of plastic!_

_It won't be long, my darling_

_Pick up the phone, nobody's on it_

Some kids in the store started to sing along with me as I danced behind the counter, singing 'Falling Down' by Selena Gomez. I had sung that song long enough for the locals to memorize the words, and they were now belting it with me. Oh yeah. I had the best job in the world. This place was my candyland.

It was the most depressing time of day. Leaving work. It was fun while it lasted.

_There's always tomorrow! _A cheerful voice in my head said reassuringly. Though, I wasn't convinced. I knew that if I were to work with L, I would have to give up my job at some point. I should make the best of it while I still have it.

_I never thought I would live to see the day when I actually enjoyed working with kids…_

I sighed as I walked down the sidewalk to the hotel. When I arrived, I found Shai and Kaida inside, apparently waiting for me because as soon as I entered, they leaped off the beds.

"Well?"

"What happened?"

"Did you meet L?"

"Of course she met L!"

"Well, what did he say?"

"Guys! Chill! We got all night." I gently placed my bag on the floor and took out the laptop.

"Hey, Shai. You do realize that Light was tailing you when you left the coffee shop today."

"Yeah, I know! He caught up to me and we talked for a while…"

"And?"

"I'm in! He's going to let me work beside him!"

"You suck."

"What? You're conversation with L didn't go as well as mine with Light?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure yet. L is a different story. I needed to be careful about what I said around him. He's a hard nut to crack…"

Shai laughed at me. "You failed! I succeeded!"

"Yeah, dream on!" I gave her a glare and continued. "I only managed to throw in how he sits and what I think of Kira."

"Why the way he sits?" Kaida asked.

"So I could tell him that I sit like that, too. It's not entirely false. I do sit like that. You know, you've seen me. I told him my reasoning and it was the exact same reason he sits like that."

"So that was an attempt to show that you were smart?" Shai questioned, but nodded. "That was clever. But I know what you tried to do today."

"What did I do now?" I asked with irritation. I already knew the answer, though.

"You sent me out of the coffee shop on purpose! What, did you think I was stupid?" There was a slight irritation in Shai's voice as well and she crossed her arms.

"Well, when you left those were my thoughts…" I shook my head lightly and held the glare she was trying to stare me down with. "It was just a final attempt. Ok? Can you blame me for trying? I'm only doing this because I care about you guys."

Shai nodded. "I know that. But we're already in the midst of danger so we might as well jump in."

I sighed. "Well, you really haven't given us a choice."

"I think we should cut the dramatics and discuss what we're doing next." Kaida said, rather impatiently.

"We can't do anything until Light or L makes a move. We're stuck here." I sat on the bed and turned on the computer. "In the meantime, we should just wait and see what happens next."

"One more thing." Shai said. "If I go with Light and Masako goes with L, then where will you go, Kaida?"

Kaida shrugged. "Not sure yet. I'm just gonna sit back and watch."

I sighed and shook my head. "Fair enough. At least one person here has enough sense."

Kaida put her hands up, a gesture to hold applause. "I know. I'm just that awesome."

"Don't get cocky." I warned.

**Ok there's your double update for the day! Yay! It was really hard to write Marichka in this story. I'm not quite sure how she thinks yet. Let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll see you guys in the next!**

**R&R you know the drill :)**


	7. Tests

**K here's the next chapter. Go nuts. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or any songs in this chapter. Blah blah blah…..**

April 9th, 2003

Not much has changed.

It's been two days. It was a Sunday. And even after my meeting with L and Shai's meeting with Light, nothing was different.

"I don't…_feel_ any different…" Shai had said. "Of course, I now have the mental image of me working alongside Light…"

"I thought you already had that mental picture." I said.

"It became clearer." She said triumphantly. "I can see it now!" I rolled my eyes. Then, out of the blue, she had walked up to a wall and smashed her head against it. I flipped out and asked her why she did that. Her reasoning? "I can't believe I was a _smart ass_ to my idol!" she sobbed. It was a random and stupid breakdown. I told her that it was understandable that she would be snappy. She was caught off guard and she didn't think of what she was going to say before she actually had to talk to Light. She was now sulking at the coffee shop, apparently in a bad mood because of that reason.

Right now, I was at none other than the candy shop. Doing my job. Singing at the top of my lungs. Giving little kids candy. I was wearing a short, black, frilly skirt (which Shai had given me weird looks and criticized about) with red leggings and a red and black striped T-shirt, my Ipod hanging around my neck. I had gotten a bracelet with three strawberry charms dangling on the chain the day before and I was now proudly wearing it around my right wrist. I had stolen Marichka's left leather strap fingerless glove and was now wearing it.

It was my tired point of the day, right before my lunch break, so I was singing softer than I usually was, but I was still singing loudly and dancing. A girl about the age of 16 was singing along with me as I sang the words to Evacuate the Dance Floor by Cascada.

_Evacuate the dance floor _

_I'm infected by the sound!_

Stop, this beat is killing me

_Hey Mr. DJ come burn this place right down to the ground!_

I heard the door open and mentally sighed. _Another customer. _

_My body's aching system overload  
_

_Temperature's rising I'm about to explode  
_

_Watch me I'm intoxicated taking the show  
_

_It's got me hypnotized everybody step aside_

I turned my head and I was completely caught off guard.

It was L.

I blinked.

_Oh my God! I didn't think he'd be here so soon! I expected cameras and surveillance or something!_

Another voice scolded me. _Say something!_

A smile spread quickly across my face and I stopped singing. "Ryuga!" My eyes went wide with excitement as I turned my Ipod down. If it wasn't for the counter between us, I would have crashed into him with one of my bear hugs. "Hi!"

A small, amused smile appeared on his face. "Hello, Masako."

"So what brings you over here?"

L looked around the shop. "Candy." He walked around the store, reaching for almost every single box and taking out a few pieces. After what seemed like forever, he arrived at the counter with an armful of sugary delights.

My smile got wider. "So you like sweets, too?" He smiled as well and nodded. I did what I usually did when I had a customer. I scanned the candy and threw them in a bag, handing it to him. I sweat dropped at the amount. "3,540 yen," I said, trying to hide my shock. The numbers popped up on the cash register.

L's face went blank and he started to stare me down. Only this time, it seemed that he had a gleam of interest in his eyes. "You beat the register."

I cocked my head to the side and my smile disappeared, leaving a confused expression. "Well, I have been working here for quite some time now."

"That was impressive."

My smile returned at the compliment. "Thanks!" I then paused and looked at the money he handed to me. "You really must've been saving up to spend a lot on candy. I wouldn't blame you. I do it all the time! Oh! But don't tell my friends that! They think I'm saving up for books." That was true. I had told my friends that I was saving my money for accounting books and they gave me funny looks. They said as long as I didn't spend it on candy, they would let me live because I told them that they couldn't spend their money on things they didn't need as well.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret." L said in his monotone with a barely notable laugh in his voice.

I dramatically sighed. "That's a relief!" I beamed at him and dealt with a kid buying some chocolate. Oh how I wanted that chocolate…

Once he left, L spoke. "How old are you?"

That question was kind of random and surprised me, but I answered anyway. "Fifteen."

"Hm…I see…" He brought his thumb to his lips and he did that calculating look with his eyes again.

After a while I turned to him. He didn't look like he was about to leave anytime soon. "Hey, did you need something Ryuga?"

"Actually, I would like to get the opportunity to know you better."

_You suspect me of something, don't you? That's not cool! _I mentally huffed in frustration.

"Oh, sure! My lunch break is in a few minutes. We could talk then. Sound ok?" I flashed him one of my warm smiles and he nodded.

"Yes, that would be fine."

The sixteen year old girl had finally made her decision as she walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Kiyomi! Need anything?" I asked the brunette.

"Actually, I'm running low on money and I can't decide on what to pick. Any suggestions?"

I thought for a moment. "The chocolate in the back corner over there." I pointed to the back of the store. "That stuff's really good!...Not that I would know or anything…" I laughed nervously.

Kiyomi giggled at my last sentence and made her way to the back of the store. "Thanks. I'll go check it out."

"The people around here seem to know you fairly well." Ok. Now L was just stating the obvious. Or maybe just trying to make small talk? But this was L we were talking about. _Everything _had a reason.

"Yeah. These kids come by here almost everyday!" I replied. The song Naturally by Selena Gomez started playing and I found myself moving to the music. To be honest, I really wasn't in the mood to listen to Disney. I was more in a Rent mood, but I sang along anyway.

_You have a way of moving me_

_A force of nature your energy _

_It comes naturally_

_It comes naturally_

_And it takes my breath away_

_What you do so naturally_

_You are the thunder and I am the lightning!_

_And I love the way you know who you_

_And to me it's exciting _

_When you know it's meant to be!_

My voice progressively got louder throughout the song and I could sense that Kiyomi was singing with me from the back of the store. I grabbed some candy boxes from the back room and started walking around the store, restocking the almost depleted boxes on display.

_When we collide sparks fly_

_When you look in my eyes_

_It takes my breath away_

_YOU ARE!_

_You are the thunder and I am the lightning!_

I didn't know how loud I was and I didn't really care. When I was done restocking the boxes I took the hands of a child and spun around once, taking her candy bar and making my way to the register. I then got a glimpse of the clock.

I sighed and smiled an upbeat smile. "There you go, kid! Don't eat it all in one bite." I advised as the child ran out the door excitedly with her candy. I laughed at her energy and looked at L. To be honest, I completely forgot he was there. I then worried about how loud I sang.

_What if he finds another reason to suspect me just by how I act here? _I mentally shook the thought away as I let one of the employees take over the counter. I grabbed my backpack and dashed for the door. _Don't be so paranoid, Masako…_

"I'm ready to go!" I smiled cheerfully at L, who nodded and followed me out.

"So, where to?" I asked.

"Well, why don't we take a walk?"

_What is it with geniuses and walks?_

"Sure! Lead the way!" He did as he was told and began walking ahead of me.

I snuck a glance at L. He was staring unblinkingly ahead of him. It was impossible to read his emotions.

_Is he trying to wait until there aren't many people around?_

"How often do you work at the candy store?" He suddenly spoke.

_What's he thinking, now? Geniuses! I'll never understand them…_

"Everyday from 8 am to 5 pm. You know, normal work hours."

_Oh, shit…I'm a kid! That's why he's asking that! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE IN SCHOOL!_

Yeah. I knew what was coming next.

"Don't you go to school?" He was looking at me now, analyzing my every reaction. Well, too bad for him because he wasn't going to get one out of me.

"No, not here. I guess you could say that I'm on a very long vacation."

His analyzing stare seemed to get more intense with each passing second.

"Where do you go to school, then?"

"America."

"Are your parents here with you in Japan?"

"No. They're…um…no. They're not. They're still in America. I wanted to visit Tokyo, though. It's my birthplace, you know."

"Well, surely you had someone accompany you on your way here, didn't you?"

"Yes. My two best friends."

"And how old are they?"

_Great. I can't lie in this situation. He's bound to meet them sometime. Then he'll know I was lying…_

"Fifteen. They were born here as well, so they tagged along." I replied.

"I see..."

We continued to walk in silence. He turned to look at me.

"You are very quiet."

I gave him a confused look. "Yes. What about it?"

"You were not at the store."

"I guess I'm just thinking a lot."

"About what?"

_Shit! What do I tell him?_

"Well, about everything, I guess."

"Would you be more specific?"

"No. Not really…"

_Good job, Masako! One more reason to raise your percentage! _

I was getting irritated with myself and started arguing with the voices in my head.

_I may not even have a percentage! I can't see how he could suspect me of anything!_

_He's a genius! You can't hide things from geniuses!_

_I know that! I'm trying!_

L's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"You are different from most girls I've met."

I stared at him with shock. I never expected those words to come out of his mouth.

_But really, L. How many girls have you _really _met? _

"Is that a compliment?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"In what way, exactly?" I was faintly curious. I really didn't think of myself as all that interesting.

"You are smart. You don't seem to be the least bit interested in love like most girls your age. You are musical-oriented and you seem to enjoy kids. You don't find them irritating as most would. But something about you just doesn't add up."

I started to get wary again. "Like?"

"You are fifteen years of age. You live in America. You are here in Japan with two friends who are the same age as you. You had no adult to accompany you on your way here and you don't go to school. You have a full time job."

"Well, I need to provide for myself in some way, right?"

"Yes, I see your point. But as I had said before-one would expect a parent or guardian with you since you have traveled overseas. Are you sure you're not lying to me?"

I looked at him, the smile and the warmness gone. It was replaced with cold seriousness. He didn't react, but I could tell that his eyes held some surprise within them.

"I am perfectly sure that I am not lying to you." I huffed and swung my head forward to find that we were walking along an almost deserted sidewalk.

"I am sorry if I offended you in any way. I was just curious."

My eyes softened as I turned to him. "No, it's ok. I'm just frustrated, that's all."

"Why would you be frustrated? I only asked you a simple question."

"I don't like it when people ask me if I'm lying to them. If they don't believe what I say earlier in the conversation, then it's just a waste of breath saying things later because they wouldn't think I was telling the truth anyway." My hardness returned, but not as much as before.

"Oh. I see…"

_Well, I'm getting bored with this…Damn it! What the hell is he thinking! It would help if Death Note was from _his _point of view so I would know how he thinks. It was easy for Marichka because she knew Light's thinking process…_

"Tell me, what do you think of Kira?"

I expected this question to pop up eventually. _Is he planning on letting me help him in the case? No…L wouldn't be that careless…Would he? _

"Kira, huh?" I raised an eyebrow at him but continued. "I understand what this Kira person is trying to do. They're trying to get rid of evil by getting rid of criminals. They're trying to create peace. A…new world. I admire Kira's persistence and they sure are smart." The look on L's face was something I couldn't determine.

_Is that…disappointment?_

"But, they're going about it the wrong way. Killing people is wrong. It's not their place to pass that kind of judgment on others."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." I nodded with determination in my eyes, sure of my answer. "It's a terrible thing to have that kind of power-whatever that power may be, it's not doing the world any good. I guess that crime rates would drop, but the world would be living in fear of Kira. Kira would think that they're creating peace and happiness, but there will always be evil lurking in the shadows. It's a part of life. And what if someone was falsely accused? Kira would be killing an innocent person." I shook my head with disgust. "If this guy is giving L a run for his money, then Kira is obviously smart. Of course, the whole Lind L. Tailor thing didn't benefit for Kira at all, either."

"How so?"

"Well, there is what L said. Kira is in Japan, Kira is murdering people with heart attacks, and Kira doesn't need to be present to kill. All that this fake L needed to tell him was that what he was doing was evil. This also demonstrates a little bit of Kira's personality as well." I paused, wondering if I should go on, but gathered up the courage to say what I needed to say.

"Kira is childish. He's trying to make peace in the world by abusing this power he has. Apparently, he must confuse himself with some sort of god-like figure. It's not a coincidence that Kira had killed him right after he said that Kira was evil. If Kira wasn't blinded by anger, he should've known that L wouldn't go out into the open like that and that Lind L. Tailor was a decoy. Even _I _knew that he wasn't the real L." I squinted as the sun beat down on my face.

"Of course, I'm sure L has already figured out that much. Now we can wait and see how this character trait gets in the way. All L has to do is taunt him. If he's smart enough, Kira will avoid it. He's on his guard now." I glanced back at L. I then realized I had made an incredibly long speech.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I started rambling, didn't I?"

He didn't answer. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

I cocked my head at him. "Ryuga?"

"You're under no obligation to do this, but would you mind submitting yourself to a test of your deductive reasoning skills?"

I stopped walking and stared blankly at him. "Huh?"

He stopped walking as well and turned to face me, one hand in his pocket and the other gripping the bag of candy. He was awaiting an answer.

"Um…sure."

_A real intelligent response, Masako. Way to go!_

I didn't know where we were headed. I followed Ryuga to a picnic table in a nearby park and I took the seat across from him. He was in his usual crouch on the bench and pulled out three photographs.

_What if he gives me the same test as he almost did with Light? If that's the case, then I would be prepared…_

"Before we begin, I would like to tell you that I am L."

I looked up from the photographs and stared at him. My face was expressionless. I then gave him a disbelieving look. I was not going to act like Light in this situation and raise my percentage, if I have one.

"Ok. Let's say for one minute that you are who you say you are. Why would you be telling me this?"

"Because I believe that you may be able to help with the Kira case."

I stared into his eyes for awhile, making it look like I was trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or not. After a few moments, I blinked and looked back down at the photographs.

"All right. I believe you. Now, what is this test?" I asked him in my monotone.

He seemed to be caught off guard by my serious tone, but it was only a flicker in his eyes. He laid out the photographs in front of me. "We can begin by taking a look at these."

I examined them as they lay on the table.

"Photographs of three notes written by prison inmates while after Kira's control just prior to their deaths. None of this information has been made public. You can take as long as you want to look them over. Please let me know what you think."

I looked at the notes, front and back. I squinted when I noticed numbers on the back of them. Or maybe it was just from the sun that got in my eyes. I made it look like I was looking at them different ways. I then put them down on the table.

I took one final look at the photographs and back at L, who was staring at me, of course. I then realized I had gone into my crouch just as L had done, but I quickly abandoned the thought. I had other things that needed to be done.

I scrunched up my nose with disgust. "Aw, man! He can _control _his victims, too?" I sighed and shook my head. I looked into his grey orbs and tried to arrange my thoughts.

_Ok. Here goes…_

I then realized that only a few seconds had passed between the time he gave me the notes and the time that I had looked up from them, not minutes as I had thought.

"The first letter of every line reveals a message. Line them up like this and it says 'L do you know Gods of Death love apples.' It's almost like he's mocking you which is very likely considering his personality. But there are print numbers on the back of these photographs. If you arrange it in that order, it reads 'L do you know love apples Gods of Death.' That doesn't make sense. So, there are three possibilities, here." I held up one finger. "One, this is just a useless message from Kira that will get you no where in your investigation." I held up another finger. "Two, this message is incomplete and Kira isn't done sending you these notes." I held up a third finger. "Three, there is a possibility that you have yet another note that you did not give me to analyze." He continued to stare at me, apparently judging.

_Wait a minute; wasn't this test used on Light because L wanted to see his reaction because he thought that he was Kira? Or was this really a test for me? Oh no! He doesn't really suspect me of being Kira, does he?_

He smiled a creepy smile. "Interesting…" My face remained expressionless. How it remained to do so is beyond me.

"If you were me faced with someone who might be Kira, how would you go about establishing this person's innocence or guilt? You need to be absolutely sure."

_This is the same conversation he had with Light! _I mentally smiled. _But I sound smarter because I know the answers. Of course, this would probably hurt me in the long run. Right now, I should just answer this question…_

"I would get him to say something that wasn't made public in any way. Something that only Kira could know." I paused and looked at him intently. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were doing that just now."

He continued to stare with wide eyes. "I see…" He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. After a few moments, he spoke. "You are a very bright girl. Your deduction was perfect. As for my question, truly amazing. What's incredible is that I've asked countless detectives that same question, and it took most of them minutes to even come up with an answer. But you-you immediately thought of a scenario in which Kira is speaking directly to the investigator. I'm impressed. You would make a fine detective, Masako."

"Um…thanks, but I would like to ask you something."

He nodded as a sign for me to continue.

"Do you suspect me of being Kira?"

He thought for a moment. "At first, I was unsure. I wasn't sure if I should have even considered you as being Kira. But based on recent events, I want nothing more than for you to aid us in the Kira investigation."

"Really? So my name is cleared?"

"Yes. So, would you like to work with the task force and stop Kira?"

I smiled happily. "Yes! Definitely!" He smiled at my enthusiasm and nodded.

"Very well." He rose from his crouch and stepped onto the ground, turning to me. "Though I must warn you, you would be leaving your job behind and there is the possibility of putting your friends in danger."

"It's fine. My job isn't a problem and my friends will be alright. They can get on fine without me around as much."

He nodded. "I will give you one day to prepare. Meet me here tomorrow and we will head to Task Force Headquarters."

I nodded in response and rose from my crouch as well. "Okie dokie! I'll meet you here tomorrow then. I'll see you later Ryuga!" I waved and skipped out of the park.

L had another amused smile on his face as he walked in the other direction, candy bag at hand.

**Did you like it? Did you hate it? Reviews make my world go round! Haha…not really. Chocolate does. Anyway, L was really hard to get down here. I'm hoping he'll be easier to write later on. Anyway, leave a review if you have the heart, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! :) Sayonara!**


	8. Goodbye Kaida, Hello Light!

**Okie dokie! Next chapter! Sorry, this one's shorter than the other ones. This was hard to write, once again, because I had to go from someone else's POV. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. If I did, I wouldn't be here….duh! *rolls eyes***

**********

Kaida's Point of View

April 9th

Hey, there. Name's Kaida Amaya. As you and I both know, that's not my real name. Let's keep that a secret.

You're probably wondering what _I _do during the day. Marichka works at the coffee shop and Amanda works at the candy store. Me?

I don't go to work.

I hate working. Anything from studying to lifting a finger and just using energy in general; count me out. I've always been avoiding the question 'Where do you work?' I haven't been able to come up with an answer cause my mind hasn't processed one yet. So in the meantime, I'll just sit back and watch how things go along.

As you probably already know from what Amanda said, there was this…certain issue with Marichka. You know it already, but I'm going to tell it to you again because I'm just that awesome and I'm sure I could tell it _way_ better.

So Marichka is all happy and that, right? She goes on about how she met her idol and she was so excited. Then out of _no where_, she smashes her head against the wall! Amanda's just like: 'What's wrong?! Why'd you do that?!' And Marichka says: 'I can't believe I was a _smartass_ to my idol!' Then she continued her rant on how stupid she was and how disrespectful she was and Amanda was saying things like: 'No! It wasn't your fault! You weren't thinking straight, that's all!' _I _was laughing my head off in the corner of the room. That does seem like Marichka, though. Not sure if Amanda already told you guys this, but Marichka snaps under pressure and her mood is completely unpredictable after that. We refer to her as 'predictably unpredictable.' Marichka says all the time: 'I know what I'm doing! I can control myself!' Well….FAIL!

Haha. So that's it for the Marichka story. What else…oh yeah! Back to what I was saying before I got distra-SQUIRREL!............................................................................................ distracted. I was gonna say that I've been spending a lot of time with Ketsueki. He's with me 24/7! How cool is that?! Let me replay a quick conversation between us.

_A few days ago._

"Hey, Ketsueki. Why are you following me? Marichka's the one with the Death Note."

"Hehe…I don't have to be around Marichka constantly. I deserve a break every once in a while."

"Yep. Can you stand my awesomeness?"

"Well, I don't know. We'll see. Anyway, you and I seem to have a lot in common."

"Such as?"

"We're both bored."

_Now_

I know, cool! The shinigami loves me! :D

Anyway, I saw Light walking out of his college the other day. And the strangest thing happened.

I SAW RYUK!

I didn't even touch his Death Note! At first, I was just like: 'What the hell is going on here?' I was freaking out cause I _know_ I didn't touch Light's Death Note. I haven't even been _near_ him! I asked Ketsueki if he knew what was wrong, and he said that my spiritual connection could have been strengthened to the point where I can see shinigami without even touching a piece of the Death Note. He said that maybe during the whole switching realms thing that I could have gotten Marichka's connection. Apparently I can now see shinigami _and _I have the shinigami eyes!

Well, I don't really _have _the shinigami eyes. You see, I guess my normal vision was strengthened and I can activate the eyes whenever I want. I'm not sure how to do that, though. And Ketsueki won't tell me how so I'm really pissed about that…

So I'm practically a shinigami! ISN'T THAT AWESOME?!

I know. I'm just that awesome. Anyway, right now I'm just-Hey! That's shiny!............................................................................................................ walking down the street here in Tokyo. Amanda and Marichka are at work, and I'm just hangin around the city looking for something interesting to do. I found this huge TV in the middle of the street! It was a flat screen on a building and it was awesome! But it was on the news. Ugh. We need one of those in America! Yeah! And instead of the news, Death Note would be on! That would be cool….Hey I got distracted again. Oops! Haha…well then…

I'm not finding anything interesting. I'm thinking that since Marichka met Light and Amanda met L, I should meet someone, too. I was hoping that I would meet Matt or Mello, but I would have to go to Wammy's orphanage in England…That's so far away…Too…..much……effort……Ugh. I tried. I should stop walking and save as much energy as possible so I can go there. Yeah, that's it! Let's do that! I'll save energy. Ready…set…GO!

*stops walking and sits down*

…………………………………………..

"OW! Watch where you're swinging that bag, lady!"

…………………………………………...

Oh, wait a minute.

*gets up from sidewalk wanders to nearby bench*

Yeah. Not the smartest idea…I should really start paying attention.

*Ketsueki roars with laughter*

"I think this is when one of your friends would say 'Matsuda, you idiot!'"

*points at shinigami warningly*

"Don't start with me."

*Ketsueki looks away casually*

Today wasn't much different from any other day I've spent here in the Death Note world. I guess I should get started by telling you this. Here goes…

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I HAVE SUCCEEDED!" Masako leaped with joy as she entered the hotel room at six.

"Took you long enough." Shai's eyed were furrowed in her 'you dummy' expression.

Masako pouted. "Hey, like I said before, L is a tough nut to crack."

"Uhu…" Shai threw in sarcasm and Masako looked steamed.

"I _passed _his deductive reasoning test _and _I've answered a question that took me seconds and other detectives minutes!" Masako smiled with pride.

"Was this the same deductive test and question L did with Light in the series?"

"Uh…well…"

"Exactly."

"Hey! It takes skill to remember things from that series!"

"Not really."

"Oh, so you're calling me a liar?"

"I was thinking it. I never said it."

"Yeah! Like that answer's any better!"

Marichka gave her another 'you dummy' look and poked her arm.

Not again…

Masako poked Shai back, but harder.

It continued like this for a few seconds, each of them increasing their power as they poked each other until it turned into a wimpy slap fight, like always.

You see what I have to put up with every day?

They _always _fought. It would start out with poking, then jabbing, then slapping and maybe some kicks in between.

"You kicked me!"

"I did not kick you. I toe poked you really hard!"

"That's called a kick, genius!"

"A kick is with more force!"

"How much force could you put into one foot?!" Shai screamed. They resumed slapping each other. They were looking away in opposite directions, shutting their eyes tight. Their arms were flailing out in front of them. It kind of looked like they were doing the doggy paddle, but they fully moved their arms, too.

The slap fights never did much damage, and I would laugh for about a minute. Then, I'd get bored with them and go break them up before they _really _start to kill each other.

I don't know how they would manage without me.

"Ok, that's enough now. Break it up," I said as I pulled them apart.

"But she kicked me!"

"Toe poked!"

"KICKED!"

"TOE POKED!"

"You're both wrong! It's called a 'toe jab!' Now be quiet! People can here you through the walls, you know." I released their hoods and they glared at one another.

"Child."

"Loser."

"L supporter."

"Kira supporter."

"Freakazoid."

"Murderer."

"Not yet. And it's called 'cleansing'"

"More like ruining!"

"Cleansing!"

"Ruining!"

"CLEANSING!"

"RUINING!"

"SHUT UP!" I grabbed their heads and smashed them together. "Knock it off!"

They groaned in pain and, as expected, Masako was the first to speak.

"But she-" Masako protested.

"No."

"I win." Shai lifted her head and smiled with triumph, despite the head trauma she went through.

"No you don't! _I _win!"

"No, KAIDA wins!"

"But-" Shai and Masako said in unison.

I pointed at them and jabbed the air with every word I said for emphasis. "I _always _win."

Apparently Masako didn't get the message.

"But-"

"I _ALWAYS_ WIN!"

Masako gave up and looked away, pouting again. I rolled my eyes and pushed her away from Shai, putting her in the corner. I did the same with Shai on the other side of the room.

"Now, _don't move_!" I scolded as I sat on the bed. I snatched an apple from my backpack and began eating it. I had to laugh at the situation, though. They were just so…interesting…I would hate leaving them. But hey, if I ever got tired of England, I could always come back. I wouldn't be missing much, and I probably won't be gone for that long. I just want to see Mello and Matt and hang with them for a while and hopefully get them involved in the Kira case sooner so I could see my friends and the other Death Note characters, too. I thought about telling them my special power, but I wasn't sure I should tell them just yet. That would have to come another day.

**********

_The next day…_

Now, things were going to be different.

I really don't feel like going into much detail, so I'll give you the short version.

Amanda is off to work with L today. She started freaking out cause she forgot to ask L what time to be there, so she assumed that it would be the same time that they were at the park yesterday.

Marichka is off to work with Light. Light should have been part of the Task Force right now, so I don't know what's going on with him. But one thing's for sure.

I am going to Wammy's.

Today is the day. The day I leave. I booked a flight yesterday and I was really caught off guard that I got a flight this soon. I told Marichka and Amanda and they flipped out on me…well…mostly Amanda. Marichka was kind of like 'eh…' Once again, I have left her speechless in my presence.

Amanda and Marichka left at one o'clock, and we said our goodbyes. I'm not sure where Ketsueki went, but I didn't really have the time to find out. I was now making my way to the plane.

_Here goes everything…_

Shai's Point of View

The doors to the Yagami household were the same as in the anime. A nice house, nicely cut grass, nice windows, nice everything. I was standing at the doorway, hesitating after I brought my hand up to knock.

_What if he had a change of plans? Oh my Kira, I'm so nervous! GAH! What am I supposed to say?!_

My mind had finally processed that I really wasn't ready to meet Light, but I panicked.

The birds were chirping annoyingly which didn't help me concentrate and I was starting to get agitated.

_Oh, what the hell! Just ring the doorbell you big baby! You're acting like some crazy fan girl!_

I quickly rang the doorbell and immediately recoiled, like I was expecting it to blow up or something. I was thinking about jumping into the bushes and plugging my ears, but I decided against it.

_That would only make me look stupid! Jeez, Shai! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!_

I held my chin high and awaited an answer.

Light's mother answered the door.

"Oh? And who might you be, dear?" She asked kindly. It was kind of annoying actually because she had a motherly tone, but I ignored it. I told myself that she was just trying to be polite.

"My name is Shai Tamaki. I'm here to see Light Yagami. Is he present?" I asked, choosing my words carefully.

"Sure he's here! He's right upstairs. Sayu!" I remember that this girl was Light's little sister. Yeah. She was annoying. Too upbeat. If her and Masako were to meet, they would become best friends.

"Yeah, Mom!"

"Turn the TV down!"

"Ok!"

"Hold on one moment, please." She told me.

"Light! You have a visitor!"

And there he was.

The light of his bedroom shining behind him.

He looked like a god.

It was the most epic scene I've ever experienced.

"Hello, Shai. Come on in. Mother, can you make us some tea?"

"Sure, Light." His mother walked off. Thank Kira, I thought she'd never leave!

Light was now halfway down the steps, and gestured for me to follow.

His room was just like the anime. Nothing seemed to be out of place. His Death Note was probably in his hiding place and the curtains were pulled wide open, sunlight pouring onto the floor. His bed was neatly made and his computer was turned on revealing his desktop.

"Have a seat." He gestured towards the bed and I awkwardly sat down, taking in as much of the room as possible and trying to keep my head cleared. Light sat at his desk chair and looked me over carefully, like I've committed some sort of crime and he was judging whether I was innocent or not.

"Did you bring it?" He whispered.

"Y-yeah."

He rose from his seat and shut the curtains, turned on the desk lamp, and locked the door.

"Let me see it." I took it out of my strap bag and held it out for him to touch. As soon as he did, he looked around the room. "Where's your shinigami?"

"I don't know." I said with slight irritation in my voice. "He's always roaming the city. He usually comes back to me when it gets dark."

He nodded. "Well, in the meantime, you should meet mine."

Light walked over to his desk and grabbed a pen, unscrewed the bottom, and put the pen piece through the hole under his now opened drawer. As soon as he retrieved his Death Note, he headed towards me and held it out.

_Ok. So here's when I meet Ryuk…Let's see how this turns out…_

With my newly found confidence, I tapped the Death Note lightly with my finger, respectfully of course. The sudden appearance of a shinigami next to me made me jump. I glanced to my side and smiled a mischievous smile. "And who might you be?"

"Hehe…My name is Ryuk." I nodded.

"Shai Tamaki."

I turned to Light, waiting for him to say whatever he had to say.

"Now that that's out of the way, I'm sure you already know that L is in my way." I blinked and gave yet another small nod. "We need to eliminate him as soon as possible. I already know what he looks like, but I don't know where to find him. Have any ideas?"

I thought for a moment, closing my eyes. There was always Amanda….

Well, it's worth a try.

"My friend, Masako." I opened my eyes. "She's working with L."

Light's eyes widened with surprise.

"If we could somehow follow her without her knowing, she would eventually lead us to him."

He nodded as his expression returned to normal. "That helps us. Is she a close friend?"

"Not necessarily. We fight all the time. We're from America, Tokyo is our birthplace. Masako wanted to come here, and I decided to tag along. Right now, we're staying at the Teito hotel. We've been there for a few months."

"Isn't that expensive?"

"We…saved up. We both have jobs. I know. It's not enough to cover staying at that hotel, but it's something to live off of and like I said before, we started out with a lot of money."

Light looked at her curiously. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen." I responded.

He nodded. "Don't you go to school?"

"I go to school in America, but I'm taking a break."

He still looked suspicious, but nodded again and turned to his desk. "Well, Shai, it looks like we're going to have our work cut out for us."

"Is there anything you need me to do?"

Light closed his eyes in thought. "Actually, there is. I want you to keep a close eye on your friend. Will you do that for me?"

"Absolutely. What exactly am I looking for?"

"Anything. A change in her behavior, where she's going, any information you can get on the L subject would be helpful. Try not to be obvious. Don't ask her right up front about it."

I nodded.

"And whatever you do, do _not_ let anyone know that we've met."

_Oh, shit! Masako knows! Calm down. It's not like she can get anything from that. _

"Right. Of course, Masako may know because she said she saw you run out after me three days ago."

Light put on a frustrated face. If I were to guess, he was screaming multiple curses inside his head. "What did you say?"

"I told her we got acquainted, and that's it. We weren't friends or anything."

"But just the fact that we've met would draw suspicion…" Light's voice trailed off. "Monitor her every move. This girl sounds like she could get in the way."

I nodded firmly. "Understood."

There was a knock at the door. "Light! I have your tea!" I narrowed my eyes at her annoying tone.

Light rose from his chair and unlocked the door, taking the two cups. "Thanks, Mom." He gently closed the door and sat at his desk, handing me the cup. I gladly took it; I loved tea.

"While you're here, we should get to know each other a little more." Light suggested after a moment of silence.

I nodded and smiled a warm smile that hasn't come across my face in years. "I'd like that."

**********

**I know. Kaida's POV is an extremely different writing style. But surprisingly, I managed. Don't worry, I'll go back to her POV at some point during the story. I didn't kick her out of the story-no, she's FAR from being kicked out. She'll play an important role later on, that's why. ;D Next chapter's gonna be from my POV so hopefully, I'll get that one out faster than this one.**

**Just out of curiosity, whose POV do you like reading better now that I have them all written out? Leave a review, please! Too lazy? Understood. XD **


	9. Cake Makes Everything Better

**I know. This chapter is short. But hey, at least I got it out for you guys. Homework and irritation have been bothering me lately, so…yeah…excuses, excuses, excuses. In a way, I guess this is kind of a filler chapter (until I know what the hell I'm gonna write), but it helps you get a better visual of my OCs. On that note, here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC characters. Nothing else…**

I hoped to God I wasn't late.

Really, how stupid can a person be? I can't believe I didn't ask L the time to meet!

_You really blew it this time, Masako! Your one chance!_

I raced down the sidewalk, the park in view. A normal person would say that it was a beautiful day. I thought it was terrible. The sun was beating down on my sensitive skin and the air was annoyingly warm. I was wearing a white zip up jacket and white sweatpants, and the same strawberry bracelet was hanging from my wrist. My hair hung to my sides. I couldn't remember if I brushed it today or not.

I made a sharp left turn, but my head collided with something really hard. I stood there, stunned, eyes shut, head rattling. I opened my eyes. The thing I collided with was…

_A hand?_

Moving my head to the side, I realized that it was L.

"Woah, talk about lightning reflexes!"

"I saw you coming from afar. You seem like you're in a rush. You don't have somewhere else to be, now do you?" L asked.

I threw up my hands in panic and waved them in front of me for emphasis. "Oh, no! Not at all! I just didn't want to be late, that's all!"

"Really? I didn't specify a time. You ran off before I could say anything."

I felt my eyes grow wide and I sweat dropped. I let out a nervous laugh. "Hehe…sorry?"

L nodded. "Yes, apology accepted. But next time, don't be in such a haste to leave. We can't afford to be so careless and mess things up during this investigation."

I bowed my head. "I'm sorry!"

"As said before, apology accepted."

"Oh," was my intelligent reply. "Sorry for repeating myself…"

"No need to apologize."

"Oh…sorry…DOH!" I face palmed. L smiled with amusement and started walking down the sidewalk in the direction that I came. I followed behind him.

"We will be going to the Teito hotel."

_Teito hotel? That's where I live! _

L continued. "This is only temporary until we find a permanent base. While we are at headquarters, I ask that you will call me Ryuzaki. We've discovered that Kira needs a name and face to kill and as you already know, he is in Japan. Light Yagami is our prime suspect…"

I started zoning out. I heard all of this before.

_Just make it look like you're paying attention and you'll be fine._

"Masako? Are you paying attention?"

_That went well…_

"I'm listening."

"I know you're listening. I want to know if you're paying attention."

"Yes, I am."

"Good."

There was silence.

"Anything else?" I asked L.

"No. As I told you before, I was done speaking."

I blinked. "Oh."

_You're such an embarrassment, Masako! It's not so bad to refresh your memory._

_I couldn't help it! It's boring!_

"Are you nervous?" We were closing in on the hotel.

"Just a little bit." I replied.

"Shuichi Aizawa."

"Kanzo Mogi."

"Touta Matsuda."

"Hirokazu Ukita."

I looked unbelievingly at the task force. I hit one of those mood swings, again. I felt like messing with someone's head and being mischievous. You know, that sneaky feeling. Though, I was kind of grumpy and willing to kill the next person that would pass as stupid.

_These guys are idiots! Why do they keep giving out their real names?_

I mentally smiled. _I have an idea… _I lazily scratched the back of my head and raised my right hand, thumb and index finger outstretched.

The task force seemed caught off guard, but they knew what I was going to do next.

"Bang," I said lazily. They stared at me with wide eyes.

"You…" Mogi started to say something, but he seemed to be completely shocked.

"You see, if I were Kira, you'd be dead." I told them. I was careful not to directly quote L. That would just be weird. I needed to make it fit my personality or they'd think I was watching them from some hidden camera or something. "I'm sure you have already been given a short lecture about not using your real names, correct? Just because I'm welcome in the task force, doesn't mean I'm trustworthy. Let's value our lives, ok?"

There was silence. Even the great L stared. Well, he _always _stared. He was analyzing me again.

_Good. Hopefully, this will increase my chances of him following _my _plans during this case because I sound so smart…_

"So Mr. Yagami is still recovering from his heart attack?" I questioned, though it was rhetorical. I heard L say something about that on our way down to the hotel. "It's a shame. I really wanted to meet him today. Oh, I'm Masako Nagawa. Nice to meet you all!" I smiled a cheerful smile and cocked my head to the side.

The task force gave me a confused look because of my mood swing and I turned to L. "Well, boss. What do you want me to do?"

"There really is nothing to do yet. I wanted you and the task force to get acquainted so you aren't working with complete strangers." I was slightly taken aback, but nodded and turned back to the investigation team.

There was somewhat of an awkward silence that followed, and I found that my head was bent low and my hands were behind my back shyly. I began to shuffle my feet to express my discomfort. "So…" I started.

All eyes of the task force stopped their wandering and turned to me, indicating for me to continue.

I blinked and looked away from them quickly, turning to L. "Do you have any cake?"

Again, everyone seemed caught off guard. _Man, I'm on a roll!_

"Yes, I do. Watari," he motioned for the old man in the corner.

The man named Watari nodded. "Right away, Ryuzaki."

I pretended to be surprised. "R-Really?" L nodded.

"Ryuzaki, what exactly are we going to do today? We only have Light Yagami as a suspect for being Kira. We have no other leads."

"Yes, I'm aware. Well, we've finished going through files and I've hired agents to watch our suspect and anyone else suspicious of being Kira. Now all we have to do is wait for their reports."

"Then why are we here?" Aizawa asked forcefully.

"Why, to meet our new member."

"Well, now that that's out of the way, can we go home?" Aizawa sounded like he was getting impatient.

_What, so he doesn't like me very much, now does he?_

"I suppose. Then yes, you may leave. Stay if you wish. We will meet here tomorrow. There will be something to do for you then."

Aizawa took one last look at me and walked to the door, a hard look on his face. Ukita followed, muttering a low goodbye.

_What the hell is all this? I thought I was going to work today! HOW POINTLESS! All that energy coming to the hotel…wasted…ugh… _My mood swings varied from anger to self-pity to laziness.

I looked over to Mogi and Matsuda. Mogi was glancing occasionally at the door, looking as though he were deciding on whether or not to leave, but Matsuda seemed to have his mind set on staying. Well, Matsuda _is _a bachelor, after all.

Watari suddenly appeared by my side with the sweet cart. "Here you are, Miss Nagawa."

"Masako. Call me Masako." I corrected with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Watari."

_Hours later…_

After I had consumed my daily amount of sweets, I really had nothing else to do. I sat in a chair next to L watched him at his computer for a while, which was mega boring, by the way. There were too many big words. I could make out some of them, but I gave up after about thirty seconds and started dozing off. The only thing that kept me company was my Ipod hanging from around my neck, the music turned down a bit so I could hear anything that could come up.

Mogi had decided to leave an hour after Ukita and Aizawa. Watari was standing nearby, ready to assist L if he was needed. I sat in my usual position on the spin chair. My left leg underneath me and the right one to my chest. I felt like some fan girl who only sat like that because of the characters in the series, but I had been sitting like this since the second grade, and I wasn't going to give it up now. Of course, there was the occasional scolding from my high school teachers. Something about dirt getting on dresses? I don't know. I wasn't paying attention.

These were the kinds of thoughts that were roaming through my head as I thought about my past. Not a very bright one, but I had my moments. They played like a movie in my head as I went through the years, from some kind of third person point of view. I saw my kindergarten teacher, always pointing out my flaws to the class. My vision jumped to third grade, where I always hung out with a guy named Scott. I remember stepping on a kickball when I wasn't paying attention and falling to the ground. Also, when I discovered that in the human eye, the pupils change size depending on the light, which I screamed at when doing the experiment in class. Once a spaz, always a spaz, I guess.

My thoughts jumped to when I was nine years old and I broke my finger at my grandmother's house. It healed crooked, though I could still bend it. At least I had good memories from it.

My vision flashed to multiple memories at once. All of the lies, the betrayals. A lot of drama and boredom. Moving from place to place and meeting all kinds of different people; most of who weren't even nice at all.

Then my thoughts wondered to Meagan. Meagan's mom was nice. Her sister was polite when I visited - though the more she got to know me, the more she felt obliged to make fun of me, much to my amusement. Her dad was on the computer constantly. He seemed outgoing and friendly enough to get along with. Well, he probably already has tons of friends, what with as many computer games he plays and probably people he'd met online. Nice bunch, though.

I then found myself thinking about Marichka. I've never met her family before. She told me that her biological father was awesome and so was her uncle, but she hated her step-father. She also said that she had brothers and sisters, though I wasn't exactly sure about their relationships. Marichka despised her mother, though I've never stuck around long enough to actually know who she really is.

I then thought of cake and how good the icing would be. More random thoughts were flowing through my brain, such as how much cake I'd have to sell to make a million dollars. It wouldn't be hard selling cake in the U.S., really. As you can see, I have a very negative image of my country, but then again, who doesn't? The _people_ are _terrible _sometimes. Not to say everyone's like that, but jeez. Some of them are really stupid. Every time I explain something, it has to be like I'm explaining it to a four-year-old. Like school. "Explain, in detail, how to do..." so-and-so for some _math _problem. "First, I added 5 and 3 to get 8..."

I scowled. _Be thankful that you have a break from all of those idiots in the real world._

"Is something wrong?"

L's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Thinking about all of that put me in a really foul mood and a not-so-happy look on my face. I was hunched over and I was sure that I looked threatening; even to a tattoo covered, one eyed, muscular prisoner. This world was full of hateful people, I'll give them that.

"No, nothing. Everything's fine."

"You've been glaring at that computer for approximately five minutes. Do you not like the background?"

I blinked at the computer screen in front of me, staring at the blue background behind some of the icons. _Wait, what?_

"No, the desktop background's fine! I'm just thinking about stuff, that's all."

"What were you thinking about?"

_Damn it! Why does he always have to ask that?_

"Nothing in particular, really. Just a bunch of random stuff."

"Such as what?"

I looked him over for the first time in a while. I mean, _really _looked him over. Analyzing him as he did to me ever since we met. His thumb wasn't to his lips yet, so he wasn't thinking hard about something. I guess he really was just curious. "What are _you_ thinking?" I countered.

Something passed through his eyes, though it came and went so fast I couldn't read the emotion. "I asked you first."

"I asked you second."

He eyed me once more, staring me down. I held his stare, making it less threatening. My mood seemed to soften a bit, but only to an extent. "I am only curious as to why you are so upset."

"Upset? Who said I was upset? I'm not upset!" I shouted indignantly. I really hated it when people did that. I would say nothing was wrong, and they would keep badgering me about it. Which is exactly what L was about to do.

I heard Matsuda's voice from behind me. "Actually, Masako, Ryuzaki's right. You look pretty down." I mentally smiled at Matsuda. The guy was sweet, but he should really learn when to keep his mouth shut.

I swung my chair around to face him, glaring forcefully. "_There's-nothing-wrong-with-me!_" I hissed. Matsuda's eyes went wide and he looked away quickly, fear clearly written on his face. I fought down a smirk. _That'll teach you._

I swung my chair violently to face my computer, my glare softening a little bit more. I still felt L staring at me.

"What now?" I turned on L and glared again.

L looked down at his piece of cake, gave it a sorrowful look and looked at me. "Would you feel better if I gave you my cake?"

I blinked. I was absolutely stunned. "_You _want _me _to eat _your _cake?" I questioned, trying to make sense of it all.

"It has a strawberry on top." He said persuasively.

_Damn it, he knows my weakness!_

"Well…" I looked at the cake, biting my lip. It's become a habit of mine when I'm trying to make decisions. Sometimes, I bite my lip open by accident.

He moved the cake closer to me and I cracked a smile. I grabbed the plate and fork while sudden happiness rushed through me. "OK!" I exclaimed enthusiastically and started shoveling it down. It took about fifteen seconds to finish, including the strawberry. I sighed dreamily. "Aaaaaawwwwwesoooooooooome" was my intelligent declaration. "Thanks, Ryuzaki. Cake makes EVERYTHING better!"

L smiled a small smile and nodded, but looked at the plate again with sorrow and turned back to his screen.

I sighed. _Poor L. Well, he offered! _I beamed at his expression and jumped off the chair. L took his attention away from his computer with surprise. I sensed Matsuda flinch; apparently he had not recovered from the earlier incident.

"Well, I'm off. It's time I get back to my friend."

L thought for a moment and looked at me curiously. "You said you had two friends."

"Yes, well, one decided to go on a little trip so our party's down to two." I replied.

He nodded. "Matsuda can be your escort."

"Huh?" The mentioned man looked up at the sound of his name.

"You will escort Masako to her home."

"Really, that won't be necessary."

"It's twelve in the morning. I find it completely necessary. Matsuda can give you a ride home."

_Well, it's nice to see he cares._ "Ok. Come on, Matsu." Matsuda smiled at the nickname and bounced off the couch, any traces of fear he once had was gone.

"See you tomorrow, Ryuzaki!" I waved a hand and grabbed Matsuda's, pulling him along.

We were walking down the hotel hallway, when Matsuda spoke. "Masako, the elevator is this way." He pointed in the opposite direction as I took a left.

"I'm not stupid; I know where the elevator is." I continued on my way though, waving a hand for him to follow.

"Then why-" He stopped as I pulled out a key and unlocked a hotel door. Suite 478, to be exact.

"Thank you for escorting me, Matsuda. I'll see you tomorrow!" I waved and smiled cheerfully, closing the door on his stunned expression. My cheerful smile then turned into a mischievous one as I skipped to my bed. I had left my backpack in the suite, and the room was kind of a mess from me rushing. After Kaida left, I remember running out the door in a hurry and hearing Shai say something like 'I'm not cleaning this up' or some other sarcastic remark.

I sat back on my bed and relaxed. I then realized it was somewhat quiet. _It's twelve in the morning. Where's Shai?_ I thought about leaving the hotel and looking for her, but I had no idea where she and Light could have gone. The park, his house, the other park, out for a walk, coffee shop, stores, abandoned places, the possibilities were endless. I closed my eyes, listening to RENT's music softly play into my ears.

There was this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I tried to ignore it. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen soon. What was I forgetting?

I sighed.

_I wish I had some cake…_

**Yes, this one is pretty short, but it gives insight into the pasts of the main characters. But we can't go into too much detail, now can we? ;) Onto playing Sims 3! ^..^ Laterz**


	10. Time

**Go nuts. **

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC characters…**

Shai's POV

_Best. Day. EVER!_

I smiled as I left the Yagami household. It was six o'clock and getting late. The sun was setting just above the horizon, casting shadows throughout the city, and the birds were quieting down. I made my way down the sidewalk, taking one last look at the common, yet wonderful house. I stopped once I got to the sidewalk, turned back to the house, and my smile got bigger.

"Until tomorrow, Light Yagami." I whispered. I began making my way towards the Teito hotel, but when I was halfway there, I decided against it.

_I really don't feel like fighting with Amanda so I'll just roam a few stores. I'll get home before it gets dark. _

I loved how I considered the hotel my home. All of Tokyo was my home. I was free. No parents, none of the idiots at school, just me. And my two best friends of course, but we've been drifting apart lately. The split ups could tell you that much. I'm working with Light, Amanda's working with L, and Meagan's just going to go to the Wammy House and chilling. Though, I really liked this place. I felt like I could stay here forever.

It was Saturday, thankfully. My work hours didn't start until Monday. I spent about an hour getting things from stores, such as a new pair of fingerless gloves, DS games, cherries, and some potato chips, which I was happily munching on when walking back to the hotel.

Kaida popped into my mind. I took out my cell phone and dialed her number, hearing the other end ring several times. _I wonder if she got off the plane and found Wammy's yet. _After a few rings, an answering message came up and I closed my phone. I didn't need to leave a message, I would just call her tomorrow. She was obviously busy.

A sudden chill was sent through me. I knew who was hanging around.

"Boo."

I looked to make sure no one was around. It was getting close to eight o'clock. Not a lot of people were out and about.

"What's up, Ketsueki?"

"Did you get me some cherries?" He eyed the bag hungrily.

"I'll give them to you when I get back to the hotel."

"Aw. But I want them now!"

"I don't care if you want them now. Since you're invisible, it would cause trouble if people were to see cherries floating and disappearing, wouldn't you agree?"

"I see your point, but no one's around! Come on, just one little-"

"No."

Ketsueki sighed, a sign that I had won.

"You know, you can be really mean sometimes."

"If you really want cherries that bad, go rob a grocery store."

"Hm…Good idea. But you see, that would cause even more trouble than just asking you."

"I guess you're right."

"So, are you enjoying your stay?"

"Of course."

"You know, you'd better do something interesting quick before I send you back."

I mentally panicked at the threat, but kept my cool on the outside and gave a simple reply.

"Oh, trust me. The real fun is just about to begin."

I cracked a smile.

"They don't have those around, anymore. It's 2010, not the eighteenth century!" I immediately stopped in my tracks and turned to the group of teenagers on the street.

"Well, I'm just saying. It'd help with our project."

"Why don't we use something like…oh…I don't know…a cell phone?"

I stood there dumbfounded.

_This can't be right._

"Hehehe…uh oh." Ketsueki crackled and I waved my hand for him to follow me to the deserted park I often go to. I sat on a bench and looked up at Ketsueki. No one was around, so I was free to talk to him.

"What do they mean by 2010?" I asked him with a hard voice.

"How should I know?"

"Did the timeline get messed up or something?"

"Again, how should I know?"

"Wait a minute. It's not 2004. That means…that the years shifted! Everyone's age shifted, too! I hope the timeline's not messed up! If this is true, then...that can't be. Sayu! She was still her younger age, wasn't she? I heard her…"

I then stopped. I never saw Sayu. I heard her voice. _Come to think of it, she did sound a bit older…So Light didn't get the Death Note until after college in this world? WHAT? But he said he was in college and so did Meagan! What the hell is going on?_

My thoughts must have been racing at the speed of Light (**haha, get it?**)**.** I sat there on the bench for what seemed like forever, trying to sort out my thoughts.

_If it really is 2010, then everyone is older than at the start of the anime. How did this happen? I don't understand what's going on…_

I looked up from my daze to see that Ketsueki was standing there, waiting for her to say something. "This is another screw up in the whole changing realms thing, isn't it?"

"I don't know. Let me get my thoughts together."

I ignored him. "So what exactly _is _happening, then? The only thing it seemed to change was the ages of the characters. So that means that Light didn't go to college right after he finished school. Unless he's going again? But why would he do that? I'm still confused."

"Well, as said before, this is a different universe. I can't take you back in time."

"Wait, so you're saying that since it was 2009 when we left our world, it's going to be 2009 in this world?"

"Yes. Since you lived through the end of the year in this world, it's 2010."

"Why didn't you tell us this?"

"You never asked. And not to mention the fact that it never crossed my mind."

"So everyone is older in this world than in the beginning of the original anime…"

"Yes, but like I said before, the one thing I can't do is go back in time."

"But I still don't understand."

"Eh?"

"Light obtained the Death Note in 2003. But here, he didn't find it until 2009. Unless we have the months wrong, too."

"I dropped the Death Note in your world on December 4th, remember?"

I thought for a moment. "Hey, you're right. Then the next day, we woke up."

"Yes. As for Light not finding the Death Note until now, Ryuk decided to go along with my plan instead of the original."

"Wait, so everything already happened?"

"Well, no. Not yet."

"Hang on a second, you just said that you couldn't go back in time."

"I didn't."

"Well then how the hell is this working?"

Ketsueki sighed. "I told Ryuk not to drop his Death Note. I said, 'Hey, why not throw someone from another universe into the mix?' and he agreed. So after a few years, I finally found the right people to do the job-in this case, you. Ryuk came to this world a few months before you did, while I began watching you."

"Wait, watching us?"

"I needed to see if you were the right material. You three seemed interesting enough, _and _you knew of the plotline of Death Note which is even better."

"But the Death Note manga was already made in our world. Wouldn't it make more sense if it already happened here?"

"That's why your world is so interesting."

"What are you talking about?"

"When humans on Earth create ideas such as Death Note, other universes are created. Every single idea that comes from man is created in another universe. Only original works, not from fanfictions like you and many others have written. And sometimes, it takes years for something to develop and take effect."

"Like this universe."

"Yes. It takes a while for the ideas to develop into another universe."

"I'm still confused."

"I came to your world a few months ago. I saw that the series 'Death Note' was just finished being written. This means that the process of Death Note being made into another realm was in affect. Since I saw what happened, watching the same thing happen again wasn't that exciting. So, I asked Ryuk to wait a while before he dropped the Death Note. He agreed, because later on, I brought him to your world to watch Death Note. Of course, I was one of the shinigami that wasn't in the series. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I was here. I was never written in the series. And even if I was, I wouldn't have shown up in the Death Note world to play my part."

"If you weren't created, then how are you here now?"

"I was thought of, but I was never used. I gave myself the name, Ketsueki, since the creator didn't."

"Ketsueki?"

"Huh?"

"Why does everything have to be so complicated when switching realms?"

"That's just the way it is. You can't change it."

"Just wait until I try to explain this to Masako."

Masako's POV

"WAKE UP!" My eyes shot open and I leapt back instinctively, my head smashing against the back of my bed. The last thing I remembered was listening to my Ipod wondering when Shai was gonna come back. She was leaning down beside my bed, an eager look on her face. It showed signs of confusion as well.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Sorry, but I need to tell you something."

Shai explained to me what happened with her and Ketsueki. Her words were jumbled at times as she tried to explain, obviously still in confusion. I managed to pick up the important points, though.

"So, we're in 2010?"

"That's what I'm saying!" Shai gave me the 'what do you think I was talking about for the past ten minutes' look.

I sighed. "Ok. I think I get it."

"I'm finally starting to get it now. I don't know why this really matters, but age may play a part later on."

"Yeah. That's what I'm thinking. Soichiro Yagami had his heart attack, right? Since he's older than in the real anime, his heart attack would leave him recovering for weeks!"

"Exactly. And Soichio's the one that makes the deal with the shinigami to get the eyes while finding the mafia."

"But if L doesn't die, Mello wouldn't join the mafia."

"Pft. When it's L's time to die, he'll die. That's all I'm gonna say."

I knew what she was hinting. "You wanna go?" I threatened. I was now off the bed, taking a threatening step towards Shai.

"HA! Bring it on!" I poked her. She poked me. I jabbed her. She jabbed me. I kicked her. I missed. We then got into a slap fight. It was normal for us to do this, but there was no Kaida here to brake us up. I was kind of worried about that. As much as I wanted to hurt Shai, I knew I'd regret it in the long run. And I knew deep down, she would too. We wanted to cause damage-hell, we wanted to cause a lot of damage, but we needed to be careful not to land each other in the hospital. That would just lead to problems.

"Ok, ok! OK, STOP!" I screamed. Shai did as she was told. "I was just thinking of Kaida."

"Same here."

"Did you call her yesterday and see if she made it off her flight ok?"

"Yeah. I tried calling her last night, but she wouldn't pick up."

"I wonder if she found the Wammy House yet."

"Knowing Kaida, she'll find it. She's smarter than her brain lets off sometimes, you know?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But hey, we're just as clueless as her so we're no better."

"True." We laughed for a while.

I glanced at the clock. "It's three o'clock in the morning."

"Yeah, and?"

"_And_ you woke me up."

"So? Go back to sleep."

"I'm not tired anymore."

"Sucks for you."

I looked down and realized that I hadn't changed into my pajamas. "Hey, I'm gonna go take a walk. I'll see you later."

"A walk? At this time of night?"

"Not outside. I hate the outdoors, you know that. I mean throughout the hotel. I want a snack and I feel like roaming."

"K. Have fun."

"Later."

I made sure I had the key and left the room. _Going for a walk…she probably won't buy that._

I made my way to L's room. Hopefully, he'll have something for me to do with the case. I knocked on his door. There wasn't an answer, so I knocked again. I stood there waiting for a few seconds. When I was sure that no one was making there way to the door, I invited myself in.

L was still sitting in his chair, but his face was turned toward me, surprise written all over it, and what appeared to be slight irritation.

"I thought you went home."

"I did. Now I'm back."

"Matsuda informed me that you live right down the hall."

"Yes, I'm sure he did." I said with a laugh.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"You never asked."

He nodded and returned to his work.

"You should catch up on sleep. We can't afford to be tired when working on the case."

"I can't sleep." I said simply as I sat in a Near-like way on the chair next to him. From this angle, I could see that he was eating a donut. "No wonder no one answered the door. Watari's not here. Where did he go, anyway?"

There was silence, for L had a mouthful of donut. He swallowed with dramatic slowness. He took his time with everything. I bet you he was doing this on purpose just to make me irritated. "He has some business to take care of."

I nodded. Apparently he wasn't going to tell me, which was perfectly fine. I eyed his donut. He caught me looking and I quickly looked away, a light blush appearing on my face.

"Would you like a donut?" My face brightened up, but I tried not to look so eager.

I failed.

"Yes please!" He grabbed the box and held it out for me to take one.

_So…many…CHOICES!_

My head began to reel as I grabbed the closed donut. Doing each action consecutively, I stared at it for a bit, opened my mouth, moved the donut forward slowly, and bit down with a 'hm.'

I looked at L with the donut still in my mouth. He was staring at me again. I couldn't read his face, as usual. His eyes seemed to be wide, though. I remembered when he looked like that in the series. It wasn't an analyzing look. It was his 'observing' look.

I blinked twice, swallowed my mouthful, and shot an observing stare right back at him.

"Why do you do that?" Surprisingly, that was L speaking.

"Do what?"

"Every time I look at you, you look right back at me with the same intensity, if not more. Why are you challenging me?"

I blinked and looked at my donut, deep in thought.

"I guess…Well, I don't know. Maybe it's because I get this feeling that you don't trust me."

"Is that a bad thing? I only met you a few days ago."

"I know, but if you don't trust me now, how are we going to solve this case?"

L brought his thumb to his lips and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"Simple. You follow my orders and everything will go as planned."

"Orders? You said you wanted me to work _with _you, not _for _you, Ryuzaki. I want to contribute as much to this case as possible without being a tool." I huffed and took a huge bite of my donut, glaring at the table in front of me.

"While that may be true, my intellectual abilities are without a doubt, higher than yours. I believe it to be more likely for us to operate under _my _conditions instead of yours."

"Oh, yeah? Then what the hell am I here for?"

"Why, to help with the case."

My right eye twitched at his broad statement as I went back to my donut. To be honest, I thought that if I ever went to the Death Note world, L and I would get along pretty well. Boy, was I wrong. I guess we got along sometimes, but it seemed like L was _trying_ to push me away. Why? I wasn't sure. He was trying to aggravate me for some reason.

_Well it's not going to work! I refuse to break!_

I looked up from my pastry and my eyes traveled to L. He had his usual stare on his face, but something in his eyes made me read differently. It was most likely frustration.

"Oh, right. How silly of me." I said with a bright smile. It was fake, but I tried to make it look real. The frustration in L's eyes seemed to have disappeared and they started to cloud with confusion. "I guess that's all I'm here for. Following orders." I sighed and looked up at the ceiling. My donut was gone and I had nothing to munch on, so I began to twirl a lock of my hair, deep in thought.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him smile. I turned to him, confused. "What?"

"You remind me of someone, that's all."

"Really?" I lifted my head to the ceiling again. I really had no idea.

I rose from my seat and grabbed another donut, making my way to the door. "I'll try to get some sleep, then. I'll be here later on today." I walked out of the room without waiting for a reply. I then started to walk towards my hotel room.

_Ok. I need to give Kaida some time to actually _find _the Wammy House before I suggest that L's successors help with the case. I also need to add on some extra time for Kaida to get close to the successors or at least become acquainted so she can tag along as well. It would look suspicious if right after she arrived, she would insist on going with them. _

I nodded to myself as I entered my room.

"This is going to be a long day…"

**Well, that's all for now. I've already started working on chapter 11. I'm not sure when it's going to be out yet. Sooner? Later? Still not sure. **

**I know that the whole changing years thing seemed unnecessary, and I'd have to agree with you on that one. Apparently, though, shinigami can't go back in time. Anyone who was confused about this before, it's all cleared up in this chapter (hopefully). It's kind of confusing to read, so if anyone has any questions just message me, k? ^..^ So…yeah. Leave a review, subscribe, favorite, whatever. I don't really care, but it would be nice to give me some feedback. See you in the next chapter.**


	11. Wammy's House

**Quick A/N:**

**So I've noticed that some of you guys are going on about how awesome I made my characters. Thanks for the compliment! But in truth, they are real people, and I can't take credit for brilliance that is not mine. Also, nothing really happens in this chapter and some of the stuff may seem a bit...strange and OOC, perhaps a bit unreal, but I went through and edited it a bit. Haha just go with it, ok? ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Just my OC characters.**

Kaida's POV

I have missed calls. They're all from Marichka. I should really call her back, but I'm too lazy.

So, I'm here. In England. I have no British accent. I'll probably stand out. I really don't care.

So, I'm here. In England. Completely lost. Right now I'm wandering hopelessly through the crowded streets.

_TOO MANY PEOPLE!_

So, I'm here. In England. I should really stop repeating myself, but I'm so excited! Now if I can only find the Wammy House. I wonder what I'm gonna say? Maybe…I could get a job there or something. Yeah, that's it. I'll get a job. I can only think of housekeeping, but the Wammy House is rich. They would already have a maid. Plus, why would they let someone like me in?

As I have screamed violently in my head before, there are _way _too many people around. I have no idea where I'm going. I'm not a people person, as you can tell, and I hate the sun. Why bring the sun up? Because it's irritating me now. I'm gonna get sun burn. I know I am.

I'm _still _walking through the streets. I think I'm just gonna wander aimlessly until I find it. I mean, I already know what it looks like. It's a huge house, and it says 'Wammy's House.' It shouldn't be that hard to find.

Apparently I was wrong.

Do you have any idea of how big these buildings are in England? Well, they're big! No, they're HUGE! How the hell am I supposed to find it? Wammy's is such a small house compared to everything here!

_I should get a map._

I tried. I really did. But it was too- SHINY!... much work. I can't find a map. You'd think they'd be giving them out on the street. I was now leaning against a tree in the front yard of what seemed to be a high school. I was glancing through the windows across the street. I went in and out of this kind of trance because this one shop had really shiny stuff in the window. I would go shop there, but I should really find Wammy's House before it gets late. It was already getting dark outside. It only took a few hours to fly here in the first place. It was about five o'clock now.

After a short moment, I heard a bell ring behind me and many students began walking out. They hung around the school; it was probably a break time or something. I decided eh, what the hell.

I moved away from the tree towards the closest student and tapped their shoulder. She turned to me in annoyance.

"What do you want, kid?" It sounded really weird cause they said this with a British accent.

"Do you know where the Wammy House is?"

"No."

"Fine then."

_Someone has an attitude problem._

I walked up to the next student, who happened to be sitting under a nearby tree. I walked up to him and asked him the same question. The boy looked up with a surprised expression.

"Go get a map! Stupid Americans…" Same British accent.

I looked at him with disgust.

_Well then…_

I took a brief second to inspect the tree he was under. Fruits were lazily hanging from the tree. I grabbed an apple from the tree and kicked the bark, sending a loose apple to the boy's head. I smiled victoriously and walked away as he screamed British insults at me.

_Did he just call me a moose?_ I shook my head. I didn't have time to deal with it. Besides, he's the one that got hit in the head with an apple. Therefore, I win.

I inhaled all the breath I could. Then, walked out on the street, weaving through the crowd. _People…bumping…into…me! AAAHHHH! _I was going to go insane.

It took me three hours to finally come out of the crowd.

"Ok. I think I've had enough for one day." I was breathing heavily, like I just came up from underwater. I kept leaving the crowd and into an open space for air. I know, it's a little dramatic, but I don't like inhaling strange smells. _Especially_ if I'm surrounded by people. For all I know, I could be inhaling poison.I furrowed my eyebrows together and huffed, falling onto a nearby bench by the sidewalk.

I sighed and looked up.

"What the hell…?" Right in front of me was none other than Wammy's. The gates were closed, but one could probably just walk up to them and push them open.

"I just wasted all that energy...All I had to do was sit down and say 'I give up.' Oh, the irony…" I squinted from the sun and attempted to get up. No…more like thought about it. I've expended enough energy trying to get here.

I raised my hand and flicked it, attempting to reach the gates or at least give an effort to get up. They were about twenty feet away. "Eh." I gave another flick of my hand and put it down lazily. "I tried."

I blinked again and stared at the gates. I was trying a telepathy thing, but it didn't seem to be working out. I then noticed that some children were outside. Some were playing games with a ball. Others played what I assumed to be tag, and some were taking joy in tormenting others. I think I found my new favorites.

A random kid in the yard (probably around five or six years) caught my eye. I stared him down for a while. He seemed to be frightened, and he tapped another boy next to him and whispered in his ear.

Well, that's my cue.

Raising myself from the bench (with immense effort, I might add), hands in my pockets, and walked up to the gates. I flicked my hand to the boy as a gesture to come closer. I forced a warm smile on my face. I didn't want to seem to frightening to the point where he'd run away. I wasn't sure if I was actually allowed in the building or not.

The boys hesitated and looked at each other. Unsure of what to do, they took a small step closer. I gave them another warm smile and flicked my hand again. One of the boys seemed to gain more confidence, and strolled forward, but the other held him back and said something to him. The boy looked at him, then back at me, then back at the boy again. He said something and started dragging him along to the gates.

I mentally smiled. Hopefully, they're going to be my ticket in.

The boys finally got to the gates and gave me a frightened look. Apparently, they didn't get visitors often.

"I'm here to see Quillish Wammy. Is he here?" I knew he wasn't, but I knew that it'd only be natural to ask for the founder of the orphanage.

The boy that spotted me first hesitated. Now that I got a closer look, he had black hair and glasses, and he seemed to be really shy. The other boy had blond hair with brown eyes. He seemed more upbeat and confident than his black haired friend.

The black haired boy opened his mouth to speak, but the blond answered first. "No. He's away on some business."

"Is that so?" I put my finger to my chin as I pretended to think. It was a little show I put on for them, a fake gesture so they would feel more comfortable around me. I didn't want to scare them off…until I get inside and do what I have to do, that is…NO! Must…not…scare…children! Resisting…urge… "Well, can I see Roger then?"

The black haired boy looked at the blond, unsure of what to do.

"Uh…sure." The blond slowly opened to gates, looking as if he's smash it to my face if I wasn't careful. _Let him try. I'd hang him by his toes in a closet! _I mentally snarled.

I spotted a girl around my age staring at me from a few meters away. Once I caught her eye, she skipped over to me.

_No! MORE PEOPLE!_

"I'm here to see Roger." She looked surprised when I was the first one to open my mouth. Then to my confusion, she smiled happily.

"Ok! Follow me!" She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me along.

_She's…touching…me!_

"My name is Linda, by the way. What's yours?" She was way too bubbly. She was just like Amanda. I can only take so much Amanda. Luckily though, I knew how to deal with people like this. _I need to ESCAPE!_

"Kaida." A simple reply. That's good.

"Alright, Kaida. Roger's office is this way." Linda dragged me through the hallways, her brown pigtails bouncing behind her.

_I need help…_

There were kids walking around in the hallways. I heard many conversations on my way past, and I looked around for anyone I knew like Mello or Matt.

We came to two large double doors. "Here we are." Linda said as she walked up to it and knocked.

I thought it was going to be like in the movies when you knocked on the most important door in the building and it would make a loud, dramatic, echoing sound. Well, not here. It just sounded like a regular door being knocked on.

A worn out, old voice answered. "Come in." Linda grabbed the knob pushed it open. The first thing I saw was Roger, sitting at his desk with his hands folded in front of his mouth. He looked irritated.

_Great…I came at a bad time…_

The next thing I saw surprised me a bit. It was Mello.

_What the hell is Mello…oh yeah. He probably got in trouble again. _

As soon as he saw me, he looked me over from head to toe. I tried to see me through his eyes. Slouching lazily, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail (I don't have my gel with me which makes me very sad…), hands in pockets, eyes spacing out, and trying to pay as little attention to him as possible. I tried not to stare back, but I mentally laughed at his expression. He seemed surprised that someone like me walked into an institution like this. Of course, I looked different from the other weirdoes here at Wammy's. I just looked…abnormal from the abnormal is the best way to describe it, I guess.

Mello had anger written all over him. Apparently, he either did something he didn't do, defending himself from something he did/didn't do, or he was just in the middle of fighting with Roger. I guessed the latter. _Wait…is it me or does he look…older?_

"Roger, this girl says she wants to talk to you." Linda let go of my sleeve (YES!) and shoved me forward (SHIT!).

Roger sighed with irritation and glanced at Mello. "Leave. We'll talk this little mishap later."

Mello huffed, swung his head to the side in a dramatic fashion, and stomped out of the room, throwing me a curious look on his way out.

"Alright, what is it?" Roger demanded.

My first thought was: _Shit! I don't know what to say! What the hell am I supposed to do? _

My second thought was: _It's ok. It's just Roger. Amanda told me that he doesn't like kids. Maybe this will give me the advantage…_

My third thought was: _Omk, how can Mello walk in pants _that _tight?_

My fourth thought was: _Stay focused. Just be chill. You'll know how to answer every question he throws at you…hopefully…_

My fifth thought was: _SHINY! _(Referring to pen on desk)

These thoughts seemed to come and go through my mind in about a millisecond. "Well, I was kind of hoping I could get a job here…"

Roger narrowed his eyes. "Miss…"

"Kaida."

"Miss Kaida. This is an institution for the gifted. This is not where you should be to get a job."

_Well, I had to start off the conversation with _something_…_

"Yes, I know. But…" I shuffled my feet and looked down, acting of course. "I don't have anywhere else to go…"

Roger raised his eyebrows at this. "Where are your parents?"

"They're in America. They sent me to Japan on a trip, but I guess I took the wrong flight. I really don't have a place to stay, and I need the money. I was hoping since this is an orphanage and all and I'm great with kids, I could help out."

"We'll just give you enough money to fly back home."

"My parents aren't _at _home. They're on vacation somewhere else in America, and I don't know where they are."

Roger thought for a moment. "There are plenty of other orphanages that you can work at. Why here, at the Wammy House?" _Oops…didn't think of that…_

"I really don't know my way around, I just got here. This was the first orphanage I came across."

Roger thought some more. I could sense Linda was still standing at the door, getting impatient. If this girl was anything like Amanda, I expected her to break out into song any minute now…

After what seemed like forever, Roger heaved a sigh. "I understand that you're in a tight spot right now, but we can't give you a job, here."

"Aw come on...I have no where to go! This _is _an orphanage after all, right?"

Roger narrowed his eyes, annoyance clearly written on his face. "Fine. But only for a few days. _Don't _cause any trouble. I will give you a place to stay for the time being."

This made me smile.

"But in payment for your room, you must work. I will give you a housekeeping job for the time that you remain here. I will also have you run errands that need to be done. We will discuss your leaving at a later date."

I mentally groaned at this statement. Some of these kids will most likely abuse their power and have me do _everything_. I find it strange that I'm the one that hates to work and I'm the one that has to do it.

"Ok." I nodded.

"Right now, it's getting late. Linda, show her to the empty room across from yours."

_NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_

"Alright! Kaida, let's go!"

"Oh, Miss Kaida. I need a last name."

"Amaya. Kaida Amaya."

He nodded. "You may leave."

I watched helplessly as Linda dragged me along through the hallways. That bell I heard before must've been the last bell of the day. Kids were all over the place. Some kids gave me weird looks, but most of them acted like I wasn't even there. _Good. I like it that way._

I was brought to an empty room after a few flights of stairs. "Doesn't….th-this…place…have…an….el-elev-elevator?" I was leaning on Linda, most of my weight being supported by her, but she didn't seem to notice. As a matter of fact, she didn't even break a sweat.

"Nope. Just stairs."

"Perfect….." I spat. As soon as I found the bed, I let myself fall into it, trying to restore my energy as fast as I could. "You had to have the room on the top floor." I heaved a sigh.

"We're not allowed to pick our rooms. Roger does."

"_Roger._" I said with disgust. At this point, that name seemed to be poison to my tongue. A mental image of me ripping his head off popped into my mind.

"By the way..."

_What now?_

"I'm almost positive I shouldn't be telling this, but you can keep a secret, right?" Linda seemed to fidget a bit, and Kaida merely shrugged.

"I guess. Why?"

"You know that this is an orphanage for gifted children...but the genius kids are trained to become the next L."

My eyes widened with fake surprise. "R-Really?"

"But you can't tell anyone!" Linda said quickly, almost looking as if she regret telling her anything. "It's a big secret! I just have a feeling you're going to find out eventually, and I don't think that would go over well," she ended her statement with a light laugh as turned her attention to a door. "Well, you rest for now. You look tired."

"You think?"

"If you need anything, I'll be in my room doing some homework. Later!" She bounced out of my room, shutting the door behind her.

_And she's GONE! _I let my smile show now. My room was pretty blank and the walls were a shade of dark red. _The color of blood! YES! _I wouldn't change a thing about this room. Not that I could. I had nothing to decorate it. Before I knew it, I eased into sleep.

When I woke up, it was still light outside. At first I was confused, then things started coming back to me. I looked out the window. The sun started peaking above the horizon.

_So it's the next day…That means today's Sunday. _My phone was lying behind me on the bed. It must've fallen out of my pocket. I checked it for any messages. There weren't any, but Marichka called me again. _I didn't hear it ring? I must've been really out of it…_ I then realized that I put the phone on vibrate. _That explains it. _

I rose from the bed and made my way to the door. The bed didn't have to be made. I didn't mess anything up anyway. I never took my shoes off. I guess I just…crashed. That surprised me. Usually I didn't fall asleep without getting comfortable. Then I remembered the stairs.

_Damn it, that's why! Roger! _I hissed in my mind. Once the door opened, I looked out and looked down the long hallway. No one was out and about. This was good. I was satisfied. I shut my door quietly, and slowly made my way to the stairs. Almost there….

A door across from mine opened quickly. "Kaida!" She whispered.

_NO! _I looked over at Linda and smiled.

"Boy, you're up early! Come on! I'll give you a tour of the house."

_No! MORE WALKING! It never ends!_

"Sure."

"We still have a while before breakfast. I'll show you the library."

I nodded and followed Linda down the steps.

...

_Worst…time…of…my…LIFE!_

I was practically out of breath.

We toured the whole house.

No one was awake yet.

Why?

I don't know.

But we managed to finish touring the house within an hour.

I sat by the nearest window on a ledge in the hallway. Linda told me she would be in the nearest courtyard. I was staring lazily out the window, watching the kids play. I laughed when someone was hit with the ball or got kicked by one of the other players, unintentionally of course, but I still thought it was funny.

I found some chocolate bars in my pocket and started nibbling on it. I was really getting bored. I could stop by Roger's office and see if he had any work to be done, but I decided against it. The last thing I wanted to do was use more energy.

It wasn't long until the first chocolate bar was gone. I sulked for awhile, missing my chocolate, but then I remembered that I had more bars. I began to nibble again.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head to find a boy of around twelve years old with a normal expression on his face, so nothing seems to be wrong.

"Yes?" I asked when he didn't say anything.

"Roger told me to give you this." He held out a piece of paper. I sighed. _It better not be a long list._ As it turns out, it was. Roger even put times on it. _This isn't a to-do list…this is a schedule!_

_8:00-9:00 Breakfast_

_9:00-12:00 Housekeeping_

_12:00-1:00 Lunch_

The schedule went on. On the back was a _list _of things needed to be done. To my horror, I had to monitor the younger kids outside. _What fun…I need to be careful not to commit suicide while I'm here._

I looked up from the list and found the boy still standing there. "Can I…help you with something?" The boy continued to stare. Then, he finally spoke.

"Roger also told me to introduce you to Mello."

At first I was shocked. "W-Wait. Who? Why?"

"Mello is a troublemaker at this orphanage. Roger's been busy lately, and Mello's been causing more a more trouble over the past few weeks."

"So in other words, he's dumping the kid on me so he doesn't have to deal with him?" I raised an eyebrow as I interrupted him.

"Uh...I guess."

"Fine." Great. Now I had to take care of the crazy chocoholic along with the screaming kids. This _so _wasn't going my way.

He grabbed my sleeve. _Not again…_ Only this time, he gently tugged me along, unlike Linda, who yanked me through the hallways. There were now kids everywhere, since it was almost time for breakfast. I was guessing that they didn't have classes today. _So they have school on Saturdays? You poor little children…But I laugh at you all the same. _

The boy led me up the stairs. I thought we were going to the top floor, but we only stopped on the second. He knocked on a door to his left, a few doors away from the stairs.

"Go away," was the reply.

"Mello, open the door!"

Shuffling could be heard inside the room and an angry looking Mello threw the door open. "What now?" He glared down at the boy, obviously irritated for some reason.

"This is Kaida. She's in charge of you from now on, according to Roger."

"WHAT?" He looked me over. "You can't be serious! How can _she _watch _me_? I'm older than her! I mean, why not a trained adult! She's just a kid!"

I raised an eyebrow at this. _Kid? I'm living with my two friends who are the exact same age as me. They have fulltime jobs and we're living by ourselves without our parents. I'm far from being a kid now…_

It wasn't long before I found a smirk on my face. _This is going to be interesting._

"What the hell are you smiling at?" I didn't flinch at how loud Mello's voice was. Instead, my smirk got wider.

"Oh, nothing. Just this whole situation."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"This is going to be…interesting…"

"NO! There's no way in hell I'm letting someone like _YOU _watch my every move. I'm not a kid."

"Hey, I'm just following orders." I said with a shrug. That seemed to make Mello even more frustrated.

Mello let out what I assumed to be a growl and stomped out of his room, slamming the door. "ROGER!"

_Like he's gonna hear you…_

I sighed. He was going to be more trouble than I thought.

"It's ok. Mello's always like this. He has anger issues."

I raised my eyebrow again and gave the boy a 'wasn't that obvious enough' look. "Yeah. I can tell."

"Is there anything you need help finding?"

"No, not really. Linda gave me a tour yesterday." _Oh, the horror…_ "Is there anyone else I should be warned about? Anyone I'll most likely meet or is of some importance?"

"Well, Mello's anger usually revolves around Near."

"Who's Near?"

"He's number one at the Wammy's House. And when I say number one, I mean he's the smartest kid here. Mello's second, so he usually gets mad because Near always beats him."

"Ah."


	12. Kira's Broadcast!

**Have fun, whatever… You know the drill. If you have any ideas, let me know. If you're bored, then leave. Do whatever you want. **

**Yet another A/N: Ok, just a quick author's note. I know things are pretty boring here, so feel free to leave. I'm not sure if things are going to pick up or not, but I found that things need to get boring before they get exciting. On another note, I'm glad some of you are criticizing my story. But I'll have you know that I pay little to no attention to it. I write for fun, not to get better. Sorry, but thanks for caring! ;)**

**That's all…I guess…Ok. Oh! Wait…**

**WARNING: This chapter PURELY EPISODE 11 from the anime so don't get angered or upset since nothing different happens! Proceed at your own risk. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Death Note. Just my OCs. **

**********

Shai's POV

It was time to put my plan into action.

It was Sunday. I knew the task force would be working today. I know where they are now, thanks to Amanda, who carelessly let herself be seen entering another hotel suite.

My plan was perfect. In fact, it could pass as full proof. Let's begin, shall we?

After Amanda left for 'work,' I walked down the hallway, a screwdriver at hand.

_Now, to find an opening…_

Masako's POV

Things were really boring, once again. Everyone was looking through files, L was on his computer doing God only knows what, and I was stuck in a chair, watching everyone scurry about and huff with frustration. It was quite amusing, I would say. Of course, there had to be something I could do, right?

"Hey, Ryuzaki." L turned his head to face me. "What can I do to help?"

"You want to be of some help?"

I looked at him warily and nodded. This was all sounding quite familiar…

"Why don't you go get us some coffee?"

My right eye twitched. L looked like he made a mental note of this and turned back to his computer.

"I don't know how to make coffee. I also don't know where to get any."

The room went silent. The papers stopped shuffling, and I felt all eyes on me.

L suddenly lifted his head at this, obviously with surprise, and he swung his head to face me. "You don't know how to make coffee?"

"No. No I don't."

"You're fifteen years old, and………..you don't know…how to make…coffee?" Matsuda said stupidly, trying to arrange his thoughts.

It was just coffee. Really, just coffee. I mean, a lot of kids didn't know how to make coffee, right? Why is everyone so shocked?

A sudden creak could be heard in the ceiling.

"Well, no. I don't know how to make coffee." I said once again. The silence continued. "But I could make some cake!" I exclaimed happily.

Everyone in the room sweat dropped. "Of course you could…" Aizawa said.

Another creak could be heard in the ceiling.

"She knows how to make a cake, but she doesn't know how to make coffee?" Mogi shook his head.

"Could you?" I turned to L, surprised that he would ask such a thing. I mean, he has Watari for that, doesn't he?

"Uh…sure" was my intelligent response.

My eye twitched as another creak could be heard in the ceiling. "Would someone _please _get that fixed?!"

A crash could be heard as the ceiling broke, sending something, or someone to the ground. They let out a shriek while falling and hit the ground with an "oof."

"Uuuuhhhh……" Was the groan that could be heard. "That hurt…" The figure slowly rose from the floor in pain. After some of the smoke cleared, I realized who it was.

_Damn it! You are SO dead, Tamaki!_

Shai shook her head like a dog, trying to shake the white, powder-like substance from her hair. When her attempts proved to be futile, she smoothed it down, only to look up to all staring eyes.

Silence.

"Uh…" Shai was obviously eavesdropping, I knew that much. She then put her hands on her hips and lifted her head proudly. "I have fixed the rat problem!" She declared with pride.

I sweat dropped and continued to stare on in shock. She…fell…through…the ceiling… I felt my eye twitch.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Shai spun on her heel and headed for the door, walking fast and her arms put into a motion that should be used for running.

"Stop." Shai automatically stopped and slowly turned her head to me. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" I asked her with a glare on my face.

"Um…getting rid of the rats…"

"That statement is completely illogical." L informed.

"Now what's the real reason?" My voice was full of anger and my glare felt like it had gotten stronger.

"Well, uh…I was…curious. You seemed to come here often and I was just worried about you, that's all…" The intensity of my glare increased, if that were possible.

_What a pathetic excuse! I know you're trying to help Light by spying! You little bitch!_

But I knew I couldn't give Shai away. That would give away who Kira really is, and that proves that I knew about it all along. I would cause suspicion, no doubt, and Shai would be put behind bars or killed.

With these thoughts in mind, I sighed and tried my best to lessen my glare. "You know you just broke about ten laws just now, right?"

"Yes, I know. But I was concerned."

"Spare me," I muttered under my breath as I spun in my chair to face the computer in front of me. I rested my head on my knee.

I sensed L staring at Shai, then he turned to look at me. "I take it you two know each other."

"Yeah. She's one of my friends that came with me to Japan."

L looked at his computer screen, deep in thought.

"We can't just let her go, can we? I mean, now she knows that you're L and we're the task force! We-"

"MATSUDA, YOU IDIOT!!!" The entire task force, even L and I, screamed.

Matsuda covered his head with his hands and cowered down a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry! I guess she didn't know that…"

"SHE DOES, NOW!" I exclaimed. I gave Matsuda an intense glare, and so was everyone else. If I kept up with the glares, I was sure that my face would freeze like that.

"I'm sorry!"

"It doesn't matter, now. The damage has been done."

"Ryuzaki's right. There's no going back, now. So, what do we do?" I asked L.

L thought for a moment and sighed. "There really isn't much we _can _do. Since she is your friend, and she already knows who we are, it would only make sense to have her work with us on this case."

I stared at L in shock. "What?!"

"Of course, if I let her go, I would have no choice but to put her in confinement. We don't have the time to put her under surveillance and we can't risk letting anyone know my true identity. If she works with us, I can keep a close eye on her."

I nodded. I guess that made sense. "So, confinement or labor?"

"It sounds like I'm going to prison…" Shai held a look of fear on her face.

I smirked at this. "Oh, it's _much _worse than prison…I'll make sure of that."

Shai widened her eyes and slowly backed away to the door.

"You may leave for today. Come in tomorrow. I'll have something for you to do then." L said.

"What, you're just going to let her go?" I asked.

"It would give her a chance to clean up and contemplate today's events."

"So it doesn't matter whether she supports Kira or not, she has to work anyway, huh?"

"Correct. Unless you want to be put in confinement?"

"No! I mean, it's fine. I'll come in tomorrow." Shai nodded.

We all introduced ourselves, except for me, who wasn't too happy with the situation. Shai left the room with Mogi after everyone was finished giving their names and I sat lazily on my chair, twirling my hair. Shai needed to be monitored, so it only made sense that Mogi watched over her until tomorrow or at least until I get back to my room. After today, I'm going to have to keep a close eye on Shai.

**********

The sun was setting. We had just talked about the whole Naomi may be dead incident. I was sitting in a chair with my laptop on my lap. I kept getting that feeling that I was forgetting something, and I tried desperately to figure out what was going on. I knew something bad was going to happen. I tried to pay attention to the conversation the task force was having, but I kept zoning out. I looked at the clock on my laptop. It was 5:57. Whatever was coming, it was coming _very _soon.

"Masako?" I snapped out of my thoughts and glanced up at Matsuda. "Is something wrong?"

I was only half-listening to what he was asking me. So I didn't really think about what I was going to say next. "Yes. Something is very wrong."

All eyes in the room turned to me. I then realized what I had said and tried to come up with an excuse. "I'm not quite sure, yet. But I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen." Just then, Watari opened the door.

"Ryuzaki. Something seems to be happening on Sakura TV." Watari informed. Matsuda grabbed the remote and quickly turned the TV on.

_What's happening on Sak- _Then, sudden realization hit me. _Oh no! That's what I forgot! The second Kira!_

I started to go into a panic attack, and I tried to calm down and remember what happened next.

A reporter on TV began to speak.

"_In other words, all of the reporters and staff here are Kira's hostages. Aside from that, we have a professional obligation to share this message with you. I assure you that this is not a hoax, and that Sakura TV is not airing this tape as a purpose of sensationalism._"

"Kira's hostages?"

"What is this?"

"_Four days ago, our program director here at Sakura TV received four tapes. After a thorough examination, there could be no doubt that they are from Kira himself. The first tape we received contained a prediction regarding the time of death of two suspected criminals who had recently been arrested. And as predicted, the exact same time that Kira had specified, both men died suddenly of heart attacks yesterday._"

My thoughts went into yet another frantic. _What do I do? Misa is there! I could go stop her, but what can I do? Wait…she kills Ukita from binoculars on a high building! But which building is that?! Oh, damn it! I should've known about this sooner! I need to stop forgetting things! I need to stop this somehow before Ukita gets himself killed and stop this broadcast! _I looked at the rest of the task force, who stared at the screen anxiously.

"_Kira has instructed us to air the second tape today at exactly 5:59 pm, and we do intend to comply with his demands. This tape should offer proof of his powers by predicting yet another death. Beyond that, we understand that it contains a message to all the people of the world from Kira._"

"Th-This has to be another fake, don't you think?"

"I doubt it. I'm pretty sure even Sakura TV wouldn't stoop that low."

"_And now, the video._"

Some shuffling from the video could be heard, and this so called Kira cleared their throat and began to speak.

"_I am Kira. If this video was being aired on April 18__th__ at exactly 5:59 pm as I requested, then the time now is 5:59 47, 48, 49. Please change the channel to Taiyou TV. The news anchor Mr. Kazui Kohibimo will die of a heart attack at exactly 6:00._"

"What?"

"Change it!" L demanded. The TV channel flipped to a man leaning back in his chair, apparently dead. Many people around him started to panic.

_A heart attack. I need to stop this! But what can I do?!_

"It can't be!"

"How could he?"

"Change the channel back. And I need you to bring us another TV, Watari. No, make it two."

"Yes." With that, Watari quickly left the room.

"…_I will present you with another victim. My next target is NHN TV commentator, Mr. Sagi Komizumi, who is scheduled to appear in a live broadcast. He too, has dared to defy Kira_."

"Ryuzaki?" Matsuda asked worriedly.

"Change it to channel 24."

A man leaning over his desk. Another heart attack. Things were happening so fast, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Again, people surrounded the dead body, screaming for help.

"Please change it back."

"_Now that you have seen proof of my powers, you should have no trouble believing that I am Kira._"

L had a distant look in his eye, apparently thinking of something. Then, he gasped. "Stop this broadcast! We can't let him finish!"

"Get Sakura TV on the line!"

"It's no good. I'm trying, but none of my contacts at the station have their phones on."

"And nobody's picking up at reception, either."

"Damn it!" My eyes flickered to Ukita, who was racing to the door.

_No! _

"Ukita!" Matsuda faced Ukita with urgency.

"I'll stop this broadcast myself if that's what it takes!"

And for the first time, I spoke. "Wait, Ukita!" But he was gone. My mind went on automatic shutdown and my instincts took over. My instincts only told me one thing.

_Run! _

Before I knew it I was already to the door.

"Masako! Where are you going?" Ryuzaki had every look of shock I could think of on his face as I ran to leave.

"Masako, it's dangerous! Come back!" Matsuda cried. I heard Aizawa yell something, but I couldn't make out what it was. I didn't have time to reply, for I had already left the room and raced down the stairs. At this point, the elevator would only be too slow. Plus, it was already in use. I raced down the steps, stumbling many times. At this rate, I was only a second ahead of the elevator, I predicted, since I jumped over most of the steps.

After I finally went down to the lobby, I spotted Ukita running out of the elevator and to the door. I began racing after him.

"Wait! Ukita!"

He either didn't seem to hear me or he ignored me. By the time I was outside, he had already driven off.

"Damn it!" I needed to get to that station. I knew that it was too late to save Ukita. Right now, I needed something to cover my face with. I saw a parked motorcycle nearby and grabbed the helmet.

No, I wasn't going to ride the motorcycle. Last time I did that, I got a really nasty burn on the side of my knee. And yes, it left a very noticeable scar. I wasn't going down that road again.

I managed to get a taxi within about five seconds and climbed in.

"Where to-"

"Sakura TV station! And step on it!" The driver looked at me with surprise, but started driving anyway.

"Can't this thing go any faster?"

"Look, I can't go above the speed limit. You gotta problem with the way I drive, then get outta my cab!" I huffed and sat back in my seat. Well, at least taking a taxi was faster than walking.

**********

Shai's POV

I ran to the hotel room down the hall. I was too late, I knew I was.

I wanted to stop the broadcast. Why, do you ask? I don't like Misa. If things continue to go as they did in the anime, Misa would live. And I really, _really_ didn't want that to happen. She was too much of an annoyance. By running in all frantic, it shows that I want to stop Kira, even though in reality, it's the complete opposite. It was all an act for me.

But to be honest, I completely forgot what was going to happen. Of course, I had a general idea, but I hadn't predicted that it would come this soon. I was caught off guard, and I shouldn't have been. I needed to be more careful next time. Keeping up with the series should be my main priority.

I burst through the door. Everyone seemed to be on the phones, except for L who was staring at the TV anxiously, biting his thumb.

"Shai!" Mogi was the first to notice me, and everyone else turned to me as 'Kira' continued to go on about a better world.

Then, I noticed someone missing. The only reason I was here was because Amanda was here. I couldn't let her have all the fun, now could I? If Amanda wasn't here, I probably wouldn't have even considered coming. But she was no where to be found.

"Where's Masako?"

"Sh-She left." Matsuda replied quickly.

I glared at him. "What do you mean, she left?"

"Ryuzaki, shouldn't we go after her before she gets there? She could be killed!"

L hesitated. He was apparently deep in thought. "I don't know. What Masako is doing is very dangerous. But if I sent more of you out there, you could be killed as well. There's nothing we can do, now. We won't make it in time to help her even if we tried. All we can do is wait."

"She went to the Sakura TV station?!" No one answered. I took this as a yes. _Masako, you idiot!_

"But-"

"Matsuda." L turned his head to face him, seeming to use every ounce of seriousness he had. "I trust Masako. She wouldn't go storming into something without thinking it through first. All we can do is hope that she knows what she's doing."

With that, Matsuda looked at the floor with sadness.

I was thinking about running after Masako, but the TV caught my attention.

"_We interrupt this program to bring you live outside Sakura TV studios._"

Matsuda stared with horror at the screen. "Aizawa, look!"

Ukita was dead.

**********

Masako's POV

I ran out of the taxi, but stopped in my tracks. There, falling to the ground was Ukita. I had only been two seconds late.

_I'm too late for Ukita…_I lost my confidence, but quickly gained it back, determination on my face. _But I could still try and stop the broadcast!_

The motorcycle helmet was already on my head before I got to the station, my hair tucked in so it wouldn't get in the way. "Alright, what do I do?" I raced up to Ukita and grabbed the gun. A security officer on the other end gave me many stop signals. I wasn't going to put up with it. I shot the glass door. I was surprised that I actually used a hand gun. I've only held a shot gun in my hand for target practice when I was at camp. The bullet didn't seem to do much damage, it only left a small hole with many cracks leading away. So, I kicked the glass where it was fractured. I broke through on the first kick, but the hole wasn't big enough for me to fit through.

_Ok. This obviously isn't going to work. _I then thought of Soichiro. He was on his way, I was sure. He was riding a police van. I could just sit back and wait, but I didn't come here for nothing. I continued to furiously kick at the glass, the door breaking off little by little. The police officer on the other side started running toward me, but I quickly threw up the gun in a threatening position. The officer stopped and looked at the gun I was pointing at him.

_Yes! _I managed to make a small hole for me to go through. I squeezed in, getting a few cuts in the process, but I made it through. "Show me where they're broadcasting the Kira video!"

"Listen, just put the gun down-"

"Show me where they're broadcasting, damn it!"

He nodded quickly and raced to the room, with me in tow pointing a gun at him. _I can't believe I'm doing this! This is crazy! Insanity! Masako! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!_

Soichiro wasn't that far behind. He had just crashed through the door with a police van. I continued to run with the officer, Soichiro following behind. "Wait! Stop!"

"Chief Yagami! It's ok! He's showing us where they're broadcasting the tape!" He seemed shocked, but he recovered and we continued running.

**********

Shai's POV

"What the hell does she think she's doing?!" I was staring at the screen in disbelief. Amanda just broke into the station. Aizawa was still frustrated after his and L's argument and the tension was thick in the air. _I can't believe this! Why-does-she-get-to-have-all-the-fun?_

"Masako!" Mogi looked at the screen fearfully as he realized who it was and L was viciously biting his thumb. Everyone else, including me, stared at the screen with disbelief.

Not long after Masako broke in, Soichiro followed in a police van.

"_A vehicle has just driven through the front doors of the station!_"

_No shit, Sherlock…_ I thought bitterly.

"Well, that's one way to get into a building without being seen by Kira."

"But, who would…" Matsuda started.

After a while, the news reporter gasped. "_We're still outside Sakura TV. As you can see, a police car has just arrived._"

"So we're not alone. There are still other officers out there willing to stand up to Kira." Matsuda said.

"Mr. Aizawa." L gave off instructions and Aizawa took out his cell phone. L took it and asked if some deputy director could stop the police officers from helping in the name of justice, for it would only cause more chaos.

The news reporter gasped again. "_Two police officers have just collapsed on the sidewalk. I-I think we may be in danger. We're moving away from the scene!_"

**********

Masako's POV

_Finally! It's about time we had those tapes!_ I stood waiting as Soichiro got on his cell phone.

I could barely make out what L was saying.

Soichiro: I need to speak with Ryuzaki!

L: Yes, it's me. Mr. Yagami. So you're the one driving the police van!

Soichiro: That's right. I couldn't just sit and watch. I've confiscated all the tapes. I'm bringing them to you.

L: But what about your condition? Are you alright?

Soichiro: I'm feeling just fine. To be honest with you, I don't think I've ever felt more alive.

L: Good. By any chance, is there a young girl there with you?

Soichiro: Yes.

L: Is she alright?

Soichiro looked me over quickly.

Soichiro: Yes. She has a few cuts and bruises, but nothing life-threatening.

I rolled my eyes. Worrying about me at a time like this is not the wisest decision.

Soichiro: So what do you think we should do now? I'd say going out the front would be too dangerous. But I could always use the police van again.

L: Please hold the line for a second.

There was silence.

L: Mr. Yagami. Listen carefully. In exactly five minutes I want you and Masako to exit out the front entrance.

Soichiro: You want us to exit out the front entrance?

I narrowed my eyes, the stolen helmet in my hands. _It's over. I did absolutely nothing. I could've been smart and stayed behind, but no…I only got in the way…_

With dramatic slowness, Soichiro and I exited the building, worn out from stress and physical exertion. With the stolen helmet in one hand, I stepped out into the light. Police cars surrounded the building. Through the midst of it all, stood someone that I had forgotten about.

_Ide... _

Soichiro gasped at the scene.

"MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO GAPS! DO NOT REVEAL YOUR FACES! WE KNOW THAT KIRA IS NOT IN THE BUILDING! HE IS OUTSIDE!" A police officer was shouting from his car, obviously using some sort of device. I couldn't remember what they were called, but it was something close to a megaphone.

I blinked and mentally shook my head. I had other matters to attend to.

Soichiro slowly walked up to Ide. I followed. He put his hand on Ide's shoulder. "Thank you. I'll drive myself."

"I understand." Ide nodded.

Soichiro motioned toward the car, and I got in the back seat. I looked through the back window as we drove away, Ide looking after us until we were out of sight.

"Listen up! There is a very good chance that Kira is still in the vicinity of the station! As you move out, proceed with caution! You are not to remove your helmets!" I heard the police officer say.

When moving through the town, I heard a news reporter on the big TV screen in the middle of the city begin to speak. "There you have it. The police refuse to cooperate with Kira. Instead, they are preparing to fight! And, as much as I fear for my own life in saying so, this is right!" The news reporter's voice grew louder with confidence. "And it must be done! Kira has become a threat to our very constitution. And as citizens, we must fight back! I am NHN's golden news anchor, Kouki Tanaka."

I smiled at this announcement. It seemed to give me newly found confidence. Ukita's death would not be for nothing. His death would not be in vain, I would make sure of that.

Shai:_ To think after all this commotion, the second Kira still got away. Though, now that this is over, I remembered that Misa was watching from a high building. How inconvenient that I realized this now. _I was staring out the window, waiting for Amanda's arrival. _I can't leave things to Light. Not at this rate. From this point on, I will take his place. This is my problem, and I need to do it alone. _

Masako: _I can't rely on anyone in the task force. This is something that only I can do. I need to stand in for L, and fight for the world!_

Shai:_ Amanda._

Masako:_ Marichka._

Shai:_ Wherever you are_

Masako:_ Whatever you're planning_

Both: _I will do whatever it takes to stop you! _

Masako:_ I am_

Shai: _I am_

Both: _JUSTICE!_

**********

**Me: Yes, I pulled the justice card! XO Don't kill me for stealing that line, but I couldn't help it!**

**Shai: Honestly, do you really think throwing original characters into the mix is going to make this chapter interesting?**

**Me: Well, sssooooooory! This chapter was necessary.**

**Shai: Quit boring your readers!**

**Me: Quit criticizing **_**my **_**story!**

**Shai: *poke***

**Me: *poke***

**Kaida: Here we go again…**

**L: *sigh* Watari, please go and retrieve the first-aid kit.**

**Watari: Right away.**

**Mello: When the hell am **_**I **_**gonna show up?**

**Kaida: Chill. We're probably gonna show up in the next chapter.**

**Me: Hey! I never said that! OW! **

**Kaida: Yes you did. I know you did. Don't defy me, because I always win.**

**Me: But-**

**Kaida: I **_**ALWAYS**_** WIN!**


	13. The Second Kira and Kaida's Prank

**Me: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!**

**Shai: Oh no, she's singing! *covers ears***

**Me: I'm not that bad!**

**Kaida: NO! You're **_**not **_**gonna start fighting! **_**You **_***points at me* are gonna write this chapter!**

**Me: Ugh! I'm tired!**

**Kaida: WRITE!**

**Me: ACK! OK!**

**Kaida: *smiles* I win.**

**Shai: Amanda doesn't own Death Note. Just her OCs…**

Kaida's POV

"Wait, what?" I stared at Mello disbelievingly.

"Listen up, you little rat. You'd better stay out of my way. You say anything to Roger and it'll be the end of you. Got it?"

I raised my eyebrow at him. Was talking to me _that_ way the wisest decision? I think not. I shrugged. "Do what you want. I'm not gonna stop you."

Mello gave me a shocked look. "Wait, you're not even going to try?" I walked lazily over to the nearest chair in his room and plopped down on it, whipping out a chocolate bar and tearing the top half of the wrapper open.

"Nope."

Mello continued with his shocked look.

"What, you expected me to follow the old man's orders? Nah. Too much work." I grabbed a hold of my chocolate and bit off of it in a dramatic fashion, just like Mello. Mello's shocked expression seemed to change to confusion as he watched me eat my chocolate bar. "What?" I asked him under his stare.

"Wh-Nothing." Mello shook his head and stomped out of the room. I raised my eyebrow again and followed after him.

Mello stopped once we were down the hall and swung his head around to face me. "What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing. I was told to watch you, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

"But you just said-"

"I _said_ that I wasn't going to try to stop you. _That _takes too much energy. Though, I love to watch people inflict damage on others. It's my hobby."

Mello's eye twitched. I mentally laughed; Amanda did that all the time. Mello gave me a frightened look, then it turned to wariness. After taking a long look at me, he slowly turned his head to the front and continued walking. I let my smile show. _I win._

I followed him to another room, and he knocked. I heard a few shuffling noises, and Matt answered the door.

"Hey, I need your help with something." Mello said.

Matt nodded and let him in. He gave me a strange look, but let me in as well. Once we were inside, Matt stuck his thumb towards me. "Who's the chick?"

"Ah, that's not important." I raised an eyebrow at Mello's response. _Do you _really _want to go there with me?_

I took a good look at the room. It was pretty dim. Light from many computer screens on the floor lit up the room just a bit, wires sprawled out all over the floor. I had to actually pay attention to where I walked so I wouldn't trip.

"So, what's up?" Matt asked.

"I'm going to play a prank on Roger."

"Again? Sweet!"

"Ok. Here's what we're going to do."

I sweat dropped. _They're still playing pranks at their age? Well, no one ever said they aged mentally…_

"Ok! Let's go!" Mello and Matt raced out of the room.

"Woah…" Really. I blinked, and they were gone. They must really be serious about whatever they're gonna do. I followed after them, trying to keep up. _Too…much…energy! AAHHH!_

I had to stop to catch my breath and they were gone. I flicked my hand with another attempt. "I'll catch up! You go on ahead!" I yelled after them, not that they heard me.

Masako's POV

When we got back from Sakura TV, things didn't seem all that different than in the anime. Well, except for the lecture I received from the task force about leaving to stop the broadcast.

Soichiro entered the room, supported by Watari. I wasn't far behind.

"Chief Yagami! Masako!" Matsuda cried with relief.

"Welcome back, chief." Aizawa greeted.

"Ryuzaki, I apologize for taking matters into my own hands. I have to admit, I got a little bit carried away." Soichiro said.

"No." L walked up to him and grabbed the tapes.

"Here. These are all of the tapes in an envelope. Everything Kira sent to the station is in here."

"I can't thank you enough."

Soichiro let out a groan. "I think I'd better rest for a minute."

Before L looked in the bag, he looked up at me. The helmet I had on was returned to the motorcycle I got it from and Ukita's gun was still in my hand.

"You, on the other hand, acted completely irrational."

I nodded. I knew I was going to get a lecture from someone at some point.

"Masako, you can't go running off into danger like that. You had us worried." Matsuda said. He walked over to me and grabbed my arm, inspecting the shards of glass on it.

"Not that I don't appreciate what you've done-"

"Which is what?" I interrupted L. "I didn't accomplish anything. Mr. Yagami would have come whether I was there or not."

"_Tried _to do," L corrected. "I just think it would be in everyone's best interest if you leave the police work to the police, ok?"

"Ryuzaki's right. Use your head next time." Aizawa put in with frustration.

"Fine, fine." I felt like a five year old. Except when I was five, I was yelled at, not lectured softly. I sighed. If only things were different. "Matsuda, I'm fine. I just need to wash it off."

"Masako, there are glass bits in here. Be careful." I gave Aizawa the gun; Matsuda didn't seem to want it.

"Uhu." I called as I left for the bathroom.

And that's pretty much how it happened. It wasn't all that important. But while I was gone, L gave the tapes to Aizawa to run them to the crime lab.

The next five days were spent looking at the Kira tapes. It was only L and me, since he asked me to stay because he wanted my opinions as well.

Mogi went to the coffee shop with Shai, watching her every move, basically.

L had the deductive reasoning test done on Light. At first I was freaking out. I didn't want Light to join the task force. Everything I would have done would be for nothing. But before L could suggest him coming to the task force, I asked him if he had any successors that could help on the case.

"Do I have any successors? Is that what you're asking me?"

"Well, someone has to take over once the real L dies, right? Well, do you?"

L thought for a moment, giving me that wary look. I could tell that he trusted me somewhat, but not entirely. "Yes, I do." He began to tell me about the Wammy's House, nothing I didn't already know. He mentioned his top three successors, but he didn't mention anything about Beyond Birthday or anyone else, for that matter.

"Well, why don't they come and help with the case?"

"Hm…That's a thought, but that would be a bad move. You see, if I were to do that, and someone happens to find out who I am and where I'm hiding, there's a good chance that my successors would die in this case along with me."

"You speak as if you know you're going to die."

"I don't have any hints yet. But I have a feeling that I'm running out of time."

"You could use this as an opportunity to see how your successors deal with this case."

"Yes, but I was thinking about having Light Yagami work with us."

"You do realize there's a down side to that, right?"

Allow me to clarify in case you didn't already know: L knew that Light was Kira. He just didn't have any proof. He wanted Light to join the task force because he wanted to watch him; to be sure that Light Yagami was in fact, Kira. Of course, this gives Yagami access to all information, and L knew this. But this also gave L a chance to catch Light. It was one of the many risks he took during this case.

"Yes, I do. I think it would be unwise to have my successors work on this case."

"Well, I think you and your successors can benefit from it. I mean, you can leave them to me! I'll take good care of them!" I smiled and pumped my fist in the air.

He smiled and shook his head.

"Come on! I want to meet them! If Light does join the task force, it's almost certain that you'll die. If you had your successors here, that may not happen. Either way, you're taking a risk. Four geniuses are better than one, you know."

L thought for a moment. "You do have a point. The case could be solved faster if they were helping. I'll think about it." I smiled at his answer.

April 22, 2010

"Well, what do you make of these?" Soichiro asked after walking in the room with the task force behind him.

"They were definitely interesting. If the police had said yes and agreed to cooperate with Kira, tape number three was supposed to be aired. Tape four if the answer was no." L answered.

I continued on from there. "Tape three covers the terms of cooperation, but simply, he wants us to broadcast the names of more criminals."

"He seems particularly interested in those who have assaulted others or those who have somehow hurt or taken advantage of the weak and defenseless. Of course, Kira would play the role of the judge in all this."

"Furthermore, as proof that the police are willing to cooperate, he wants police officials and L to appear on TV and make a public announcement saying that we'll cooperate with him. He needs us to reveal our faces so he can kill us if the police do anything suspicious."

"In other words, he'll hold our lives as insurance." L finished.

"I see. So what about the content of the fourth video if you were to answer no?" Soichiro asked.

"It's pretty much the same message, more or less, only in different words." I replied.

"Mr. Yagami, it should go without saying that the answer is no. Please have someone take tape number four over to Sakura TV and authorize them to broadcast it."

"_I can only say it's a shame that your answer is no. It's clear that the police wish to oppose me. This will not go unpunished. So, I'll start by taking the life of either the director general of the NPA, or the detective, known as L, who is currently leading the investigation against me. The director general or L? Who will pay the price for your refusal to cooperate in the creation of a peaceful world? You have four days to decide._"

_The next day…_

Soichiro walked in. "Ryuzaki, I'm afraid it's as you thought. Several of our member countries have weighed in, and it seems that they are in favor of having the real L appear on TV."

L sipped his tea. "I think that's the most appropriate choice, given the options. Well, we still have three days before it happens. Maybe we can find some counter measure. After all this, it would really annoy me" he shoved some cake into his mouth. "if I'm killed by the first person to jump on the Kira bandwagon."

Matsuda gasped.

"Ryuzaki, what do you mean by that?" Soichiro asked.

"That there's a strong possibility that this second Kira's a fake. No, we should think of him more as a second Kira."

"A second Kira?"

"I-I don't understand. Why do you think there's a copycat? How did you come to that conclusion?" Aizawa had a look of surprise.

"Masako will explain." L answered.

This snapped me out of my thoughts. "Hm? Oh, right. We looked at the victims he used for his predictions on tape number one. Their purpose was to prove that he was Kira. Both of the names were only reported in tabloids and talk shows, so they weren't exactly hardened criminals. The real Kira wouldn't need to kill such insignificant criminals to prove that he really was Kira. What the second Kira was trying to do was make sure that he didn't predict a death that the real Kira would predict first."

"Ryuzaki, if you had to put a number on it, what's the probability of a second Kira?" Soichiro asked, fear in his voice.

Ryuzaki nodded for me to continue since his mouth was full of cake.

"Over seventy percent." I said.

Many gasps could be heard throughout the room.

"I _really_ don't like the way he operates. It's not like Kira." L grabbed his tea again and took a sip.

"Not like him?" Matsuda questioned.

"What he's saying is that in the past, Kira has been avoiding killing innocent people, besides the ones that were trying to catch him. If we can capture one Kira, there can be a lot of information we can obtain that will help us find the other one." I clarified.

I grabbed the cake in front of me and began shoveling it in my mouth. It was really good cake. I instantly felt better. All of my worries seemed to wash away by the sweet taste of strawberries.

Kaida's POV

"How about we try something else?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why pull those kinds of pranks when you can have a little more fun with cooler pranks!"

Matt leaned in. "I'm listening."

We were just outside the kitchen doors. I finally managed to catch up to Matt and Mello. Their plan wasn't all that genius, just your basic, everyday prank that involves things from the kitchen. I had a better idea.

"Hey, that's actually not that bad. What d'ya think, Mello?"

"Hmph…" I gave him a sweet smile and he rolled his eyes. "Fine. But this better not get us caught!"

"Alright, I'll be up in my room." Matt got up to leave, excitement written on his face.

"Take this with you." Mello tossed him a walkie-talkie and headed for Roger's office, which was currently unoccupied.

"Come on, Kaida." I nodded and followed Matt up….more…..steps….

_ENERGY! _

"Alright, ready?" Matt asked.

"Yeah! Let's do this!"

Matt grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Are you finished yet, Mello?"

Mello answered. "Yeah. I'm right outside the library."

Matt started typing random commands on his computer. He hooked up more wires to it than before, which made me kind of nervous as to whether the computer would explode from so much electricity. But I relaxed. Matt is a genius, after all.

_Roger's Office…_

Roger was sitting at his desk, sipping the coffee that he had just left to get. It was nice and fresh. Delicious, he would also describe it. No kids scurrying around to annoy him. It was Roger's time, now.

It was getting late. About 6:45 in the evening, to be exact. His lights illuminated the room, and he was at his desk working on boring paperwork. He hated filing through papers, but at least it was peaceful.

Roger was about a fourth of the way through the files when suddenly, the lights flickered. He looked up at the ceiling with impatience and frustration as he rose from his desk and flicked the light switch on and off, trying to relieve them of their spasms. The light switch was no good; it wouldn't work.

The flickering lights ceased. Roger sighed and shook his head, walking over to his computer.

_Matt's Room…_

"What're you doing?"

"Mixing it up a bit." Matt said with a mischievous smile on his face. He typed in a few commands.

"What kind of pop-ups are those?"

_Roger's Office…_

Roger blinked. Then his eyes widened. "What is all this? I never get pop-ups on this site!" Roger pushed the button to turn off the computer monitor, but it failed. "Wh-Guh!" He was in a panic state now. After a while, he gave up and sadly looked at the computer screen, waiting for the pop-ups to stop, you know, popping up.

His eyes widened further at one of the pictures. "…HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?"

_Matt's Room…_

Matt started laughing, and struggled to give a reply. "Gay porn!"

At this, I burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Tha-That's a classic!" I shouted between laughs. "I wish we could see his face!"

"We can." Matt turned to another laptop and pushed a button. It was a video of Roger in his office. He was starting to freak out again. I thought he was going to hyperventilate from everything that was going on. The lights were still flickering and gay porn proceeded to cover his computer screen like there was no tomorrow.

"Alright, you ready?" Matt handed me the microphone.

"Yeah." I nodded as I tried to stop laughing. After a few seconds, I calmed down and began to speak.

_Roger's Office…_

He held his head with both of his hands in panic. He was about to dash for the door, until he heard a voice. He wasn't sure where it was coming from; it seemed like it came from everywhere.

"_Roger…_" Many distorted voices were mashed together.

Roger's eyes widened. He swung his head from side to side, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. "What do you want?" His voice was shaking with either fear or fury. Judging by his expressions, it would most likely be fear.

"_Chocolate…_"

Roger's face automatically went from shock/horror to confusion/fury. "Wh-What?"

"_Chocolate…AND VIDEO GAMES! Shut up!_" Roger looked up at the walls in confusion. Was this guy…fighting with himself?

_Matt's Room…_

Matt cowered a few feet away from me, holding his arm and slightly whimpering in pain. I covered the microphone with my hand. "Good goin! Now that I said chocolate and you said video games, it won't be that hard to figure out who's messin with him!" I hissed.

"Sorry! I got excited!"

I shushed him and went back to the microphone. "_Give me chocolate…_" I mentally sighed. "_And video games…_" I said in a spooky tone. I was sure Roger knew that it was a computer generated voice, for now he had a look of fury.

"Is this who I think it is?"

"_Shiny things…give me shiny things!_"

"You have to be one of the kids from this institution! No one else can get past security! So I wouldn't pull anything if I were you!Who are you?" Roger's voice got hard.

"_That doesn't matter. Just get me what I asked for._"

"And why should I do that?"

"_Well, I do have the advantage._"

I could see Roger giving the walls a fearful face.

"_You see, I have your insect collection._"

Roger's eyes grew wider, which I didn't even think was possible. "Wh-What? N-No! Where are they?" He left the room. Five minutes later, he came back. "They're gone!"

"_Yes. We established this. I'll send them back once you get me what I asked for._"

"No!"

"_Fine, then. Let's make this a little more up front, shall we? Give me chocolate, video games, and shiny things or your little insects will go to the dogs!_"

"We don't have dogs!"

I thought for a moment. "_We'll get dogs!_"

Roger had a helpless look in his eyes. He then sighed. "Fine. I'll get you what you want. Just don't harm my insects…"

I smiled. "_Good. Leave them outside the library and your insects will return to your room no later than morning._"

Roger nodded.

I turned off the microphone and gave Matt a high five. "Success!" We yelled victoriously.

"Yo, Mello. He's coming soon. Standby."

"Got it." Was the reply.

I smiled and turned to Matt. "That was hilarious! Too bad we didn't record it." I said with disappointment.

Matt went behind one of the computers and came back with a floppy disk. "One step ahead a'ya."

**Me: Haha that was fun to write!**

**Kaida: *smiles* Yeah that sounds like something I would do!**

**Shai: Aw! *pouts* I'm nowhere in this chapter!**

**Me: Aw, whatever! I'll guess I'll write you in the next one…**

**Shai: *brightens up* Yay!**

**Mello: Yes! MORE CHOCOLATE!**

**Matt: AND VIDEO GAMES!**

**Shai: Video games? I love video games! Where do I see video games in this chapter?**

**Me: Someone's oblivious…**

**Shai: Shut up!**

**Me: Make me, loser!**

**Shai: Careful what you wish for!**

**Kaida: *curls up in ball, ducks head, rocks back and forth* Kaida in the middle, Kaida in the middle!**

**Matt: Hey, Mello…I think we'd better leave…I don't want to get hit.**

**Mello: *nods, walks away with Matt***

**Kaida: Wait! Don't leave me with these people!**

**Me and Shai: WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?**


	14. Finding Misa

**Me: Oh my geez it's been weeks since I updated! Sorry, guys! Guess I put it off too long.**

**Mello: No, REALLY?!**

**Shai: You even promised to update…TWICE!**

**Kaida: Way to go, Near!**

**Near: Huh?**

**Kaida: Not you, the other Near!**

**Near: *looks on with confused expression***

**Me: I own nothing……….*sigh* If only………**

* * *

"You are such a child!"

"And _you _are such a loser!"

"Freakazoid!"

"Wimp!"

"Don't make fun of my lack of athletic ability!"

"H-Hey, guys…Can't we just all be friends?" Matsuda asked; his voice quiet and full of fear. He seemed unsure of whether he should get involved.

"NO!" Shai and I screamed at him.

Light looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Shai. Masako. I think we should start focusing on more important matters…such as the case?" He suggested with caution.

I huffed and gave Shai one last poke before climbing into my chair and facing the computer screen. Shai rolled her eyes and walked to the nearest couch, mumbling something about…a toy truck?

* * *

As sad as this is to say, Light joined the task force. I couldn't do anything to prevent it. I guess what L wants, L gets (not _that _way you yaoi perverts). He's such a spoiled little brat sometimes…Anyway, L showed Light the Kira video and, as predicted, he gave the same conclusion as L had. The task force sent a reply to the Second Kira's video and the Second Kira replied with a diary attached. That's all so far.

Now I'm troubled. My original goal was to keep Misa out of all this, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. If Misa enters the task force at the same time as she did in the anime, L and Watari are sure to die. So there are two things I could do. One, I could let Misa get kidnapped by the task force. Two, I could go retrieve her myself, since I know somewhat where she lives. I have the city Aoyama from her diary and the wonderful internet to help me, so I'm sure I can find out where the famous Misa Amane lives.

* * *

Matsuda released the breath he held with relief and went back to his work. I couldn't even remember what Shai and I were fighting about, and I bet you anything neither did she.

I thought really hard. I couldn't figure out what to do next besides getting Misa. That should throw off future events just by a bit since I'm bringing her in several days earlier, but there was a problem with that. If I did this, would L and Watari's death happen sooner?

I pulled out the laptop in my bag and began typing quickly into a search engine.

"What are you doing?" L asked curiously, trying to get a peek at my computer screen.

"Looking up the word 'shinigami.'"

"But Masako! You don't think that shinigami are real, do you?" Matsuda looked at me with disbelief.

I sighed and turned my head. "Matsui, Kira can cause heart attacks by using a name and a face, and he doesn't have to be present. The existence of a shinigami wouldn't surprise me at all." It was when the Second Kira mentioned that he and the real Kira could show their shinigami to each other. I already knew the answers that the task force was looking for, but I couldn't act like I knew something they didn't. It would cause suspicion.

Matsuda looked confused. Apparently, I hadn't explained it enough.

Aizawa threw his fist on the table. "There's got to be some logical explanation for all this!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "And what if there's not?" I raised my eyebrow in question. "If you think about it, it kind of makes sense."

"What makes you say that?" Soichiro asked.

"This power that Kira and this copycat have…it seems to be supernatural. If they're killing supernaturally, then wouldn't a shinigami make sense? A shinigami is the link to death. If a human can somehow communicate or talk to this shinigami, then that explains where they get their powers from."

"Come on, don't you think that's a little farfetched?" Shai spoke up.

That little brat. She was giving me the 'don't you dare say anything else or you're dead' look. I almost forgot that she really wasn't on L's side. Mostly because I ignored the fact that she was here.

"No, I don't. In fact, I think there's more than a 50% chance that my theory is correct."

Shai narrowed her eyes. "You're lying. Quit calculating percentages."

"True, it was just a rough estimate. But I'm pretty confident in this one."

"Yeah. Getting cocky will lead to your demise," Shai spoke in a wise tone.

"Spare me," I said in a warning voice.

Aizawa sighed. "Oh, don't start this again."

"Hmph." I swung my head to face my computer screen and began typing and clicking. I then sighed after a few minutes. I knew what I had to do.

Closing my laptop, I got up from my chair and headed for the door.

"Masako. Where are you going?" Mogi asked, looking up from what Aizawa was searching on a computer.

"I'll be back." I said.

Shai gave me a suspicious look and stood up. "I'll come, too!"

I glared at her. "I think you should stay here."

"And I think I should come with you! I can't stay in one place for long, otherwise I get fidgety."

I raised an eyebrow. It was true for Kaida, but for Shai? Probably not.

"Masako."

I turned to L.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my room. I left something there and I need to go get it."

L gave me that suspicious look. He knew I was up to something. "You may take Shai with you. But keep an eye on her."

Shai smiled triumphantly while I rolled my eyes. I motioned for her to follow.

"K. I'll be back." I said once again as I left for my room, Shai in pursuit.

Once we were out of earshot, Shai spoke up. "What're you really going to do?"

"We're going to Aoyama," I replied without looking at her. Once I unlocked the door, I threw random things in my bag that I may need.

"Why?"

"To find Misa."

"Ew! Why would you want to?"

"It would throw off the timeline. But only by a bit."

"Hang on, the diary said she traveled there, right? So it's obvious she doesn't live there."

"I got her phone number."

"What, so you're her stalker now?"

I ignored her. "I'm going to call her and tell her to meet me in Aoyama."

"How do you know she's going to come quietly?"

"I'll let you know when I get there. It all depends on how she takes the situation."

"You do realize that if you get Misa involved with the task force before she was originally supposed to come in, L's death would just come faster."

"And Watari's."

"Whatever."

"And you don't know that for sure."

"Well, there's a very good chance."

"I may be able to get the successors involved, too."

"What?! Why?!"

"So we can catch Kira faster."

Shai didn't look surprised as much as she was a few seconds ago. I guess she knew I would pull something like that and she gave me the evil eye. "Bitch."

I raised an eyebrow. "Loser."

"L supporter."

"Kira supporter."

"Freakazoid."

I grabbed my bag. "Ready to head out?" I asked as if nothing happened.

"Yeah. Let's go." She recovered quickly from our argument as I had and headed for the door.

"Don't think about making a run for in, now." I said, mocking a task force member who said this yesterday.

Shai sighed. "Fine, fine." Shai suddenly stepped to the side quickly in the opposite direction, but stopped when she saw me jump. "Just kidding."

"You better be."

* * *

"Ryuzaki, it's been over ten minutes. I don't think Masako went to her room…" Aizawa informed.

"Perhaps you're right. Matsuda, Mogi, go check her room."

The said men nodded and walked to the door.

* * *

"Hi! Is this Misa Misa?!" I asked with an excited voice. Shai rolled her eyes.

We were just outside the train station. The train would leave in about five minutes, so I had to think of something to say to Misa fast.

"_Ya. Who's this?"_

"My name's Masako….Otoru." I wasn't sure where that name came from. I had to make it up on the spot. "I work for a photo shoot here in Aoyama and I was hoping you'd consider coming down here to do it."

"_You'd have to talk to my manager." _Misa said in such a prissy tone that if she was standing right in front of me, I would've punched her.

I mentally face palmed. I completely forgot that she had a manager. I looked to Shai for help. She rolled her eyes and grabbed my cell phone, covering the bottom part so she couldn't be heard by Misa. "Shai comes to the rescue and saves the day once again," she smiled teasingly as I glared.

"Yes. This is Shai. Don't mind Masako; she's denser than she lets off."

I widened my eyes and stomped my foot with my mouth hung open in a gasp, waving my arms in attempts to ask 'what the hell was that for?!'

"Actually, the photo shoot's been canceled. I apologize for getting your hopes up and wasting your time."

"_Oh, well alright."_

My mouth fell open and I stared and Shai stupidly. What the hell was she doing?

"I need to make it up to you."

"_What? No, really. You don't have to."_

"Of course I do," Shai said cheerfully. Though I could tell on the inside, she was screaming 'DIE BITCH!' "Why don't we take you out shopping? We'll pay for everything! How does that sound?" Shai's teeth were clenched.

"_Are you kidding? I have no idea who you are! Why would I go shopping with someone I don't even know?" _

Shai put on an irritated face. "We work for Red Magazine."

"_The Red Magazine crew is already here!"_

I heard irritation in Misa's voice. This wasn't going to go well…

"We……got lost." Shai looked up at the sky for a second and then nodded, sure that her words made sense. "We're newbies. We'd like to have a chance to meet you."

"_But I thought you said you're crew was planning a photo shoot in Aoyama. How can you be holding a photo shoot down there if you work for Red Magazine which is here!" _Misa repeated.

"As said before, the canceled. Actually, it looks like they never even planned it. The crew members like to mess with us and Masako wasn't smart enough to figure out that no one's showing up." My mouth opened again and I gave Shai an exasperated look.

"_Well, I guess that makes sense. But I'm kind of busy. Look, if you're one of those obsessed stalkers or fans…"_

"Well, no. We are fans, but we work for _Red Magazine_." Shai stressed the last words, trying to imprint them into Misa's thick-headed skull. "We're not trying to pull anything, we just want to get to know you better." There was silence.

"_Um…ok! I guess I'll come up to Aoyama then! I'll see you at the mall!"_

Misa then hung up.

Shai closed the phone and gave it back to me. "Piece of cake." We began walking as I stuffed the phone in my pocket and smacked Shai's head with my free hand, still staring straight ahead.

"Ow!" Shai laughed out. She knew why I was mad. "Hey, at least you're not as stupid as Misa, ok?"

"As stupid?" I gave Shai the evil eye and she tried her best to hide her smile, failing miserably. She burst out laughing as soon as she tried to put on a serious face. I rolled my eyes and walked on.

* * *

"Ryuzaki! They're not there!"

"Matsuda, please keep you're voice down."

"But aren't we going to find out where they've gone?"

L picked up the diary with his index finger and thumb.

"How can we find them if we don't have the slightest clue where they went?" Aizawa growled with frustration.

"No, we do."

Everyone in the room turned to L. "Wh-What are you-"

"Masako and Shai know something that we don't." L said, interrupting Matsuda. He seemed to be talking to himself more than the task force.

Everyone gave him questioning looks. "Obviously, they know or suspect someone to be the Second Kira. Masako didn't leave long after she looked through the diary. Since she lied about going to her room, there is a 78% chance that she went to one of the places in this book."

"What makes you think they're hiding something?" Matsuda asked.

"They're very quiet, for one thing. They won't give out much information about their families, and unless I missed something that Masako didn't, we don't know who the Second Kira is. I've looked at all the evidence and it leads to no one."

"So there's no way they would've known who the Second Kira was?"

"That's correct."

L handed the diary to Soichiro, who quickly flipped through it.

"Ryuzaki, there are quite a few places mentioned in this diary."

"Process of elimination, Chief Yagami."

* * *

"Oh…"

"My…"

"Kira…"

"_That _is a _huge_ mall."

"Do I really have to go in there?"

"We have to find Misa."

"Yuck…" Shai looked on at the store in horror.

"It won't be that bad, Shai. Just stay close and don't get lost."

"Don't treat me like a little kid. It's _you _who always gets lost and it's _me _who always has to find you."

"Are you gonna stand there and flap your lips all day or are you gonna help me find Amane?"

"I'd rather flap my lips."

It took most of the energy I had to drag Shai into the huge store. She kept digging her heels into the ground and moving back, taking me along with her, but I finally managed to drag her in the huge place.

"Would ya come on, already?"

"No!"

"You're the one that came with me in the first place! So stop complaining."

"Fine, but I'm _not_ going in the make-up department!"

I sighed once we were inside. It was a clothes section. There were many bright colors and I was sure Misa would be here.

"Ok. Keep an eye out for a dumb blonde in expensive-looking clothes. I know she's around here somewhere…" I peered over some clothes racks and began making my way to the next section. "She should be here by now."

I turned around and walked back to the entrance. "She's not-" I stopped once I realized Shai was no longer there. I scoured the store in attempts to find her, but my efforts were fruitless.

"Where in the world could she have possibly gone?" I racked my brains to find some solution. "Wait. I know!" I raced out of the clothes department.

* * *

"Find them and bring them back!" L shouted after the task force as the raced out of the room.

* * *

"Shai! What the hell?" I was at a video game store on the other side of the mall. How she managed to get here so fast was beyond me.

"Oh, hello there. Did you find Amane?" Shai raised an eyebrow at me. She had one hand in her pocket and the other holding at least three video game cases.

"Did I find her? _You're _supposed to be looking for her, too!"

"I'm also supposed to actually _do_ my homework."

"Don't get smart with me. Let's go." I commanded.

"Wait, let me buy these games first."

"Oh, forget you!" I stomped towards the entrance and made a sharp turn to the left. I then felt something collide with my head.

"Owie!" The force of the collision knocked me to the floor. "Sorry." I mumbled.

I was dizzy at first. I stared ahead for a few seconds, waiting for my double vision to subside.

"Yeah, you should be! That hurt!"

I froze. I recognized that voice. My eyes widened as I looked up to find none other than Misa Amane.

* * *

L was sitting in his chair, biting his thumb with nervousness. As far as he knew, the Second Kira seemed like a bigger threat than the original Kira at this point. Deep in thought, he glared at the computer screen.

The door opened, which snapped him out of his thoughts. He swung around in his chair and stared at the figure before him, confusion clouding his eyes and a shocked expression on his face. "Who are you?"

* * *

**Me: Aaaaaaaaaaaand that's pretty much it…**

**Shai: *sigh* Well, at least you updated.**

**Kaida: Now get to work on chapter 15.**

**Me: What?**

**Shai: Do it, or I'll unleash the pens.**

**Me: You wouldn't!**

**Shai: I would.**

**Mello: And if she won't, I WILL!**

**Me: Hey, hey, hey, now. There's no need to yell. **

**Mello: I'LL YELL WHENEVER I DAMN WELL CHOOSE!**

**Near: *leaving***

**Shai: Yes! The emo albino is leaving!**

**Me: Shut up!**

**Shai: No!**

**Kaida: Kaida in the middle! Kaida in the middle!**

**Matt: I'm getting a headache…**


	15. More Trouble

**Kaida: YES! One week of pure AGONY!**

**Me: I updated, didn't I?**

**Kaida: I know! Yay! It makes me HAPPY!**

**Ketsueki: I'm not mentioned anymore.**

**Me: It's ok, Ketsueki. We'll put you in the next chapter, ok?**

**Ketsueki: Fine by me. Shai owes me cherries, anyway.**

**Shai: No I don't. I just gave you some three minutes ago.**

**Ketsueki: No you didn't.**

**Shai: Yes I did.**

**Ketsueki: No you didn't.**

**Ryuk: Yes she did.**

**Ketsueki: Shut up, Ryuk.**

**Me: Don't own anything. Wish I did. yada yada yada**

**.........................................**

"Misa Amane?"

Misa got up quickly from the floor and grabbed her shopping bags. Her hair was in her usual pigtails and her face was covered with makeup. She had on these huge bug eyed glasses that made me want to go 'BBBBZZZZZZZZ' just to mock her, and she wore quite revealing clothing, the latter making my eye twitch with annoyance. Basically, she was wearing gothic Lolita or whatever.

_The idiot's been shopping? WHEN SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING FOR US?!_

"I'm Masako," I introduced myself slowly, trying to avoid any outbursts from the short-tempered girl before me. "I work for Red Magazine." My lie continued.

Misa gave me a shocked expression and scanned me from head to toe. "Aren't you a little young to be working for Red Magazine?"

"I'm an intern," I improvised.

Misa pulled on a bright face and smiled happily. "Ok! I already did some shopping, if you don't mind. Where's your other………..friend?" She said the last word slowly as she looked above my head. At that moment I mentally began to freak out.

Shai suddenly jumped in front of me. "Hey, there!" Even with those two words, I had a feeling that she already knew what I was thinking. Shai was trying to pull of a distraction from looking at our real names, at least until we get out of this place. "We're going shopping, aren't we? Lead the way!" She turned Misa around and shoved her forward.

"U-um, ok." Misa slowly walked forward, Shai reaching out her arm to slow me down a bit, her shopping bag in her other hand. Once Misa was a few feet away and out of earshot, she gave me the bag to put in my backpack.

"I expected this."

"Expected what?" I asked.

"For her to see our real names! Honestly, Masako. I didn't think you were that stupid."

"This is _not_ the time to make me mad!"

Shai sighed and glared at Misa's head. "Got any ideas?"

I thought for a moment. I really didn't think we'd get this far. "We need something to cover our faces, but we'd be getting funny looks from everyone. They'd probably think we were pretending to be ninjas or something."

"It's better than dying."

"She's gonna see our names, anyway. I don't see the problem." I was slowly giving up. Shai looked at me like I was a moron and began to speak.

"Our main goal is to get her to Task Force headquarters. If she sees our names before we even make it out of the store, there's no way she'd come with us. She'll know we're up to something."

"So what do you suggest we do, then?"

"Well, first we need to get her out of the store somehow…"

I stared ahead at Misa with frustration. Her pigtails were bouncing behind her and her strides were ditsy. She seemed to be completely innocent and harmless. Of course, since I knew the truth, this thought wasn't on my mind at the time.

"We're running out of time!" Shai growled with frustration. She thought for a moment. "I say we corner her."

"That's what I was thinking. I mean, we brought her here to shop. It wouldn't make sense if we asked her to leave."

"So how are we going to do this?"

"What're you guys whispering about back there?" Misa slightly turned her head and I pulled Shai out of her line of vision.

"Nothing, Misa. Just take us to whatever store you want." I offered hurriedly.

"You know, we aren't really hanging out since you guys keep lagging behind!" Misa shouted indignantly and spun on her heel. She gasped as she stared above our heads.

"Damn it!" I took a step back, but Shai took a step forward. This wasn't good, not at all. Misa knew our names, now. She could kill us. We couldn't let her leave, now.

At that moment I knew what Shai was going to do. "Hey, wait!"

The slap could be heard throughout half the mall. Misa held a hand to her cheek and stepped back, a shocked and angered look on her face.

I found it kind of weird that Shai would choose to hit her at a time like this. I mean, I knew she'd always wanted to hit her, but I figured that she would attempt to grab Misa and take her to the temporary Task Force headquarters by force. I guessed that she saw this as her window of opportunity. But really?

"That's what you get for being a bitch!" Shai yelled. Out of all the things Shai couldn't stand, one of them was stupidity. She despised stupidity with a passion, and she found it to be the worst quality in humans.

"Hey! I am NOT a bitch!" Misa yelled. Her face contorted from anger to fear. "Who are you?"

I thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. Shai never took her eyes off of Misa. She seemed pretty pissed. Of course, I would too, if it wasn't for my kind nature. "Doesn't matter." I said.

Shai seemed to calm down. My guess was because she finally got to smack Misa, and she was content. "Misa Amane," she addressed her calmly.

"You are under the suspicion of being the Second Kira." I began staring her down.

"W-Wha-I don't know what you're talking about!" Misa took a step back, ready to bolt for it at any second.

I then noticed our surroundings. Not a lot of people were around. The shops were pretty much empty because the mall was closing down. Barely any light showed through the windows, so I guessed that it was getting dark. A woman was holding the hand of who I guessed to be her son, leading him to the exit. About fifty feet away, a few people stood on either side of us. It was good that they were keeping their distance; otherwise this would end with a bystander calling the police.

I made sure my backpack was secure on my back and I got into somewhat of a fighting stance. To be honest, Shai and I were wimps. I wasn't sure if we could take Misa. We could try. There was a high probability that we would win, but there were people not far from us who could jump in and help her. That wouldn't be pleasant.

"We'll take you by force, if we have to." Shai informed. "You know exactly what we're talking about." She declared in a matter-of-fact tone. "We won't let you get away."

I stood glaring at Misa, my hands balled up in fists, my arms lifted a bit just in case she tried to attack. She was most likely to run, but you can never be too prepared.

"You're not the police." Misa eyed forcefully. I flinched under her glare, but only by a bit. Shai looked like a brick wall-it didn't even look like she was breathing. She just stood there with her eyebrows furrowed. I didn't like where this was going.

"Let's just say…we're working for them. Temporarily, of course." I was unsure of whether I should tell her this information for fear that she may escape. I had to get her to headquarters. I just _had_ to.

Shai took a step forward and Misa quickly spun on her heel (how she did that in high heels, I will never know) and raced away.

Instinctively, I ran after her. I wasn't sure if Shai was behind me or not, but I couldn't hear her and I didn't have time to look back. By the time we made it outside, it was dark and really hard to see. I made out Misa, who ran for the street, tripping multiple times. She suddenly stopped and I had to squint to see. _Damn it, why can't they put more lights on these streets?_

I didn't have my glasses on. I left them in the real world, so I couldn't see Misa at all. The dark wasn't helping considering the fact that my vision was terrible enough as it was.

Shai had left from the other exit in the mall, and managed to make it outside before I did, apparently. She grabbed Misa's arm and pushed her toward me and away from the street. I panicked when I saw Misa fly at me and pushed her to the left by reflex. She landed on the ground, her hair obscuring her face. She looked so helpless; I almost felt pity for her. Almost.

"What now?" I asked as Shai walked forward slowly, keeping a cautious eye on Misa, who was still on the ground.

"We remove her from the sidewalk and take her to headquarters," she suggested simply, as if this whole situation meant nothing to her. Actually, it appeared that she was enjoying this.

I nodded and stepped forward. Misa heard the movement and scrambled away from me. She had a few cuts on her arms from when Shai and I pushed her, but other than that, I couldn't see why Misa had to give me a dramatic, hurt look.

I turned to Shai. "Perhaps we should try a different approach?"

"I think it's a little too late for that."

I sighed and walked toward Misa who backed up to a building wall. I held out my hand. "You have to come with me, now." I said in a gentle voice. Misa looked like she thought about taking it, but she just smacked it away, still looking fearful, and moved a few feet to the left.

Well, I would be scared too if someone tried to kidnap me. But hey, she was the Second Kira. She deserves it. I started walking toward her again and this time, she jumped up and ran. I lunged for her, but an invisible force knocked me to the left, sending me to the wall.

I think it's safe to assume that that didn't go too well.

_I forgot about Rem…_ I was on the ground, my eyes wide, trying to deal with the pain. "Damn it, that hurt…" I slowly rose myself from the sidewalk. People were lazily passing by, as if nothing was happening. So apparently they didn't notice me getting hit by something that couldn't be seen while I was in midair?

_What is up with this world?!_

I wasn't sure if I had fallen in a puddle or if I was bleeding to death. All I knew was that my head hurt badly. I was sure it was Rem that hit me. What other shinigami would protect Misa like that? She didn't hit me that hard, but my head felt otherwise.

I turned my head to see Shai being knocked back by the same force. Her head smashed into the cement and she skidded across the pavement, which made me wince. I was sure she would have scars from that.

"I tried…" I whispered as I sunk to my knees with exhaustion. I couldn't go after Misa, even if I tried. I was too tired. Seeing Misa's retreating figure, I sighed with defeat.

It was over. Misa knew who we were. She was going to kill us. We blew it. No, _I_ blew it. Me and Marichka…..Marichka…she was going to die because of me. It was really over.

Then, something completely unexpected happened.

A figure appeared right in front of Misa and grabbed her. Whoever he was, he was wearing a mask of some sort and dressed in all black. Misa squirmed in his arms as he walked to a black van; throwing her in and someone inside slammed the doors. Someone touched my arm and I turned my head quickly, jumping with surprise. He was wearing a mask as well. I gave him a fearful look and leaped back.

"No, no, no! It's me!" The figure took off his mask to reveal…Matsuda?

I could think of a million questions to ask him right now. One of them being, 'how did you know where to find us?' But I was 100% certain that L had something to do with it.

_Just goes to show you that you can't outsmart geniuses…_

I beamed at him after a few seconds after I registered what was going on. They captured Misa. The Task Force was here. Misa was captured. She was _captured_! Maybe we weren't going to die after all.

Overjoyed, I threw my arms at Matsuda and gave him a hug. "Matsui! You're here! You couldn't have come at a better time! Well, you _could _have…" I released him and he beamed at me. I looked over at Shai. Soichiro was kneeling next to her. She was awake and sitting up, staring off into the distance. Apparently, she was trying to figure out what was going on. She looked more like she was trying to recover from dizziness.

I sprinted towards her. "Shai! You ok?"

"Uh…yeah…I guess." She sensed something was wrong and she looked down at her arm. "BLOODY HELL!"

"Bloody, yes. Hell, no. It's only a scratch." I pointed out.

"If it's just a scratch, then why is she bleeding so much?" asked Matsuda.

"Just a scratch? My skin is torn off!"

I sighed. "Well, that's one thing we have in common. One silly scratch and we're practically bleeding to death." I explained. Soichiro helped Shai off of the ground and her eyes flashed to mine.

"You're bleeding too, you know." Shai seemed to have recovered quickly from her arm, which I didn't think was possible. Just a second ago she was freaking out. Hell, it was still bleeding a lot and she had such a calm expression on her face. It wasn't really a scratch; she was right. The skin on her entire arm was practically ripped off. I was surprised I didn't see the bone. The thought made me shiver.

At that I scanned my being. There was blood on the left side of my body and water was dripping from my sweatshirt's sleeve. I'm glad that the wet substance I landed into earlier was mucky water and not my own blood. I turned my head and tried to see my back, but it didn't work. So I spun around in multiple circles like a dog, trying to see if there was any damage done to my back.

Shai rolled her eyes. "There's no blood on you back, Rover. There's some on the back of your head, though."

I raised my hand to my head. As soon as I touched the wound, I almost fell to the ground in pain. I stumbled a bit, but finally kept my balance.

"I think it would be best if you two went to the hospital." Soichiro said in his gruff voice. I noticed that the black van disappeared. I didn't ask about it, though. I already knew that she was being taken into confinement; at least until I got back and explained…how I knew about Misa! Oh jeez, I forgot-how the hell am I supposed to explain to L how I knew about Misa?

These thoughts only made my head hurt worse, and I leaned on the nearest person for support, which was Shai. She sort of leaned on me, too. Her arm was probably killing her by now.

"Yeah, I think that would be wise," answered Shai. I whimpered a bit as my head began to spin even more. A few moments after that, my world turned black.

.......................................................................

I heard sirens. Lots of them.

Car doors were slamming.

What's going on?

I'm confused.

Someone put something on my face. What is that?

My eyes opened a bit.

I saw blue and red lights flashing through the atmosphere.

No…that's all.

I couldn't see anything else.

I blacked out again.

..................................................

My eyes opened. Only instead of red and blue flashing lights, it was a white light. A _very _bright, white light. It reminded me of the sun. I hated-no-_despised_ the sun. I was laying on something. It was a bed. A white bed. I like white. And there was a pillow. I like pillows, too. They're soft. I was in different clothes. They looked like Near's. I mentally giggled at my love for pajamas. The clothes were really soft. Soft and cool. I liked them. I shall keep them.

I was out of it for I don't know how long. I suddenly remembered everything as the past rushed back to me. The mental blow hit me so hard I could practically feel it rack my body. My eyes grew wide and I shot up from the bed. I was in a hospital room.

"Hey, sleeping beauty's finally awake." I heard a taunting voice from the corner. I slowly turned my head to find Shai sitting in a chair, her eyebrow raised at me. Her arms were lying across the back of her chair, one of them wrapped up in bandages. Her head was in a bandage, too. Her right shin was resting on top of her left leg and she looked fully rested. I was about to retort when someone spoke up.

"Masako, how're you feeling?"

I turned my head to the voice. Matsuda was standing beside Mogi, who was sitting in a chair looking tired.

"Uh…pretty good, I guess." My hand reached up to my head, where bandage was wrapped around it. "How long was I out?"

"It's about 7:30 in the morning. You passed out a few hours ago." Mogi informed.

"So how bad is it?"

"You lost a lot of blood, but you're still alive so don't start complaining." Shai moved her hand to rest under her chin, her elbow on the side of her chair.

I nodded. "And how bad are you?"

"Just a torn up arm. No broken bones. My brain rattled in my skull a bit and the doctors say I may suffer from memory loss."

"Memory loss? How?"

"My head met the pavement in a very painful manner. I collapsed right after you did."

"You didn't seem like you were going to."

"That's because I try not to freak out in situations like that."

I nodded. "Well, what did you forget?"

Shai gave me a 'you dummy' look and I smiled. "I don't know. I'll let you know when I remember," she stated through clenched teeth.

"Hey, my head's the one that smashed into a wall, right? That would be weird if you were the one to suffer memory loss and not me. I think that'd be funny."

"I wouldn't." Shai threw a glare my way.

I sighed. "You can't beat me up when I'm in a hospital bed." I smiled and stuck my tongue out at her. She seemed to hiss at me under her breath.

At that moment a doctor came in and knocked on the door frame lightly. She wore glasses and she had blonde, tied back hair. "Miss Nakamura. You're free to go."

I assumed that was me. "Thanks, doc!" I hissed as the doctor whisked away. At this, Shai started laughing. "Don't you pull anything now, you hear?" I warned.

Shai held up her hands in a 'you caught me' gesture and stood from her chair.

"Time to face Ryuga." I said with dread. Shai nodded gravely as I grabbed my backpack.

...............................................................................

As soon as I walked through the door, I was fairly surprised.

A silence filled the room as I stared at the figure before me.

..........................................................................

_Thirteen hours earlier…_

The door opened, which snapped him out of his thoughts. He swung around in his chair and stared at the figure before him, confusion clouding his eyes and a shocked expression on his face. "Who are you?"

The figure smiled. "You're worst nightmare!" she said with a gruff, threatening voice. It was really hard to see her with the dimmed room since it was getting late, but L could tell that her arms were spread out in attempts to scare.

L relaxed once he figured out who it was. "You must be Kaida."

The said girl walked closer into the light. "How'd you know who I was?"

"Your friends, Shai and Masako, mentioned you a few times."

Kaida raised an eyebrow. "Really? Were you guys talking about how awesome I was?" she asked with a smile.

L blinked. "Something like that."

"I know. I'm too awesome not to talk about." Kaida raised her hands in a 'hold the applause' gesture and beamed knowingly.

"Shai informed me that you might have come here at your own accord. Tell me. Where did you go on your trip?"

"Wammy's House." Kaida shrugged. There really was no point in lying. Masako probably asked L if the successors could work on the Kira case and chances are, they would. Knowing Mello, Kaida was sure he would tell L about me.

"Wammy's?" L put his thumb to his lip, deep in thought. "Why were you there?"

"Why should you care?" Kaida countered.

"I'm just curious."

Kaida thought for a moment. "Wammy's was the first orphanage I came across, and I needed some place to stay. I got a temporary housekeeping job there to help me pay for a trip back to Tokyo." Kaida nodded with certainty.

L stared at her for a bit, just observing. A spasm shook Kaida's arm and she jumped in surprise. L's gaze seemed to intensify at the movement.

"What? I can't stay still or I'll get spasms." She walked up next to L, who was watching her every move.

Kaida gave him the 'you're a creeper' look and glanced at his computer screen. "So where are Shai and Masako?"

...........................................................

"Kaida?" I questioned. I looked her over. Yes, it was really her. "How'd you know where to find us?"

Kaida smiled. "I did my research."

"You? _Thinking_?" Shai questioned. "I think I bumped my head a little too hard. Excuse me." She walked to the other side of the room with her hand holding her head, and sat down next to Light, who looked at her bandages with concern.

Kaida was sitting on a couch, one arm slung over the back and the other holding a chocolate bar to her mouth.

I could sense L glaring across from me. I shuffled my feet a bit and finally met his glare. I didn't try to compete with him this time. It was strange. I did a stupid thing last time, and I waved off his warnings. But now, when I finally do something right, I feel bad. I don't know why. I guess it was because I was landed in the hospital, and I got Shai involved with it, too.

Personally, I thought the entire thing was stupid. A _shinigami _landed me in a hospital. What I don't get is why would Rem attack _us_ when we were kidnapping Misa? Why didn't she attack the Task Force in the anime when they kidnapped her or even last night when Aizawa threw her in the van? _Maybe she knows about us coming from a different universe? She obviously thought of Shai and me as a bigger threat than L himself. _I concluded.

When I snapped out of it, L was standing in front of me. I guess I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to notice. I braced myself and waited for him to begin his lecture.

"I don't understand." I cocked my head at L's statement. What's he talking about?

"You…don't understand what?"

"Why won't you listen to me?"

I blinked once. I blinked again. Oh, I see.

He waited for my answer. Oh! This isn't a rhetorical question.

"I…well…I…don't…um…" I stuttered, trying to find the right words.

L brought his thumb to his lips, apparently thinking hard.

"I…just…" I continued to stutter. I shuffled my feet uncomfortably, trying to come up with a decent answer.

"Did I not tell you to leave the police work to the police?" L asked. I decided to go along with him and nod.

"Yes, you did."

"Masako, if you knew what was going on, and you knew who the Second Kira was, you should have told me so we can _all_ apprehend the suspect. You don't have to do it alone. We're a team."

"Yeah, Masako. We're all in this together!" Matsuda said with a smile. His choice of words reminded me of High School Musical and I mentally groaned. I hated that movie.

"I would appreciate it if from now on, you tell me what's on your mind _before _you go running off and landing not only yourself, but Shai in the hospital. Understand?"

I think I was having déjà vu. "Yes."

"Do I have your word?"

That stopped me. My word? Shai coughed a very loud cough and looked away from the scene. She knew that my word meant nothing. It was slightly different in this case, but let's just say that my word still didn't mean a whole lot.

"Yes. You have my word." I nodded firmly. Shai coughed again. Light gave her a knowing look and he turned to me, observing, looking for any signs that I may be lying. You know sometimes I wonder if he lost his memories of the Death Note a little while ago, but that was never the case. He was just a good actor, I'll give him that much.

After that, the atmosphere was pretty much made up of silence. L went to sit back at his chair once he was sure that he had my 'word' and Kaida was lazily biting off her chocolate.

"Where'd you put Amane?" I asked.

"She's in confinement at our new headquarters. We'll be going there starting tomorrow." Mogi answered.

"Who's watching over her?" I asked with-dare I say it-concern.

"Watari is there for the time being." L informed.

There was more silence.

"Hey, Kaida. How was Wammy's?" I looked over at Kaida, trying to lighten the mood, or at least get rid of some of the tension.

"It was awesome! I met Mello and Matt. Oh, I also met _Linda_." She said the last name with distaste. I guessed things didn't go over so well with her. The Task Force gave us confused looks, but no one said anything. L was still staring at his computer. Nothing was pulled up, so he was obviously thinking about something really hard.

"I actually thought you'd stay there longer. Why'd you come back?"

"I got kicked out."

My eyes widened and I stared at her.

"You're kidding! How?"

Kaida leaned forward and eyed me. "It involves insects and gay porn. Do you really want to know?" I sensed Shai shiver at the word 'insects.' She hated bugs.

As soon as she said this, I quickly looked at a part of the ceiling in the corner, avoiding Kaida's gaze. "No, I'm good." I said in a fearful voice.

With that statement, Kaida's body shook with a mischievous laugh, and bit into her chocolate bar.

.................................................................

**Me: I mixed things around in this chapter a bit. I was trying to hold some suspense, but I'm not sure if it worked out too well.**

**Kaida: Haha I'm so COOL!**

**Me: Yeah, yeah, yeah…**

**Shai: YES! I FINALLY HIT MISA!**

**Me: I'm not sure how well I did in this chapter. I mean, I read over it and it seems kind of boring and fast. **

**Shai: That's because you're the writer. It happens.**

**Me: Ok, you guys. I'm gonna need some reviews. Let me know what you think because I'm kind of eh on this chapter. Be honest blah blah blah yada yada yada.**

**Matt: *laughs***

**Me: What's so funny?**

**Matt: Haha, gay porn…**

**Mello: Good times…**

**Shai: You know if Masako didn't include the 'Kaida's Prank' chapter, people would be taking this badly. **

**Ketsueki: *roars with laughter***

**Kaida: Yeah, there are **_**so **_**many ways you can take that. Just…just shut up. *laughs* **

**Me: Really? I'm only counting two. **

**Near: Let it go, Masako. I don't think we want to know. **

**Light: *stares on with fearful expression***

**Shai: HAHA Light's having images!**

**Me: Getting creative there, Light?**

**Kaida: *says in high voice* Perv. **

**Light: What? No!**

**L: I have six.**

**Shai: Of course you would! You sick minded pervert!**

**Me: Ok, I think this conversation has taken a turn for the worse, so I'm leaving. Near, you're coming with me.**

**Near: But my dice tower…**

**Me: Do you really want to stick around? **

**Near: *gets up starts leaving***

**Shai, Kaida, Mello, Matt: EMO ALBINO!**

**Me: Shut up!**

**Kaida: *looks at Mello and Matt* I've taught you well, young grasshoppers. *bows***

**Matt: *bows back***

**Mello: *looks on disbelievingly* Dude?! **

**Matt: Dude, this is just like in one of my video games, I have to relive it, ok?**


	16. Preschool

**Go nuts.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything…except for my OCs…**

….

It only took one mistake.

One rash move.

One…not well thought out plan.

As of now, we are screwed.

And it's all my fault.

….

It was silent for a bit. No one said much. I guessed that we were all organizing our thoughts. I knew I was. My thoughts were going about a mile a minute.

The problem was that we knew that Misa was the Second Kira. Although Misa did include her diary with the video, there still wasn't enough evidence or information to suspect Misa Amane until the lab results came in. I left for Aoyama right after I read the diary, and I was pretty sure that L pieced together that I knew who the Second Kira was. It wasn't a coincidence that I went to Aoyama out of all the places in the diary and met the Second Kira all in one day. L would figure out that we preplanned this. We couldn't lie and wiggle out of this situation because we called Misa, and if L happened to listen through cell phone records, he'd find our conversation. And then there was _Meagan_. Oh, how she screwed us over even more…she came to the exact room L was in without any previous information. Plus, she told L that she went to Wammy's. She could have lied, but if the successors really did come to work on the case, they would be sure to mention that they've seen Meagan hanging around the institution for the gifted. We couldn't say that we contacted her to tell her which room we were in because every method of contact would be recorded or monitored and L would again be able to get his hands on records.

And what about Rem? What was that all about? She landed us in the _hospital_! Obviously we're more dangerous than the Task Force, considering she attacked _us_ and not the _police officers_. As said before, she probably already knows about the whole switching universes situation.

And _WHERE IS KETSUEKI? _This is getting ridiculous! He is _no where _to be found! We could probably get him to go into the phone company and pull some switches, deleting the conversation between Misa and me to cover up the lie I was thinking about telling, but neither he nor I are smart enough to do that. That idea was pretty much out the window.

Kaida was nibbling on her chocolate bar, apparently not in thought since she was observing the rest of us with a mischievous eye, mainly me and Shai. She obviously _knew _that we were screwed, because she looked like she was trying desperately not to laugh.

Shai was staring at the floor, pulling her thoughts together and Light had a look of concentration on his face. Whatever he was thinking about, which I would guess to be the Second Kira, he seemed to be completely stressed by it. As expected, he was planning on meeting the Second Kira himself before we got to her.

That's another thing. Because Misa didn't hang out with Light or even get to meet him, Light isn't as heavily suspected as he was when he was seen around Misa who, at the time, sent in a video saying that she wasn't going to look for Kira anymore. So unless he asks to, he won't be confined, and the Second Kira will continue to try to find the original with no knowledge of Light being the owner of a Death Note until she sees him. Of course, I'm going to have to prevent her from looking at his face, but that's not likely to happen.

At that moment I felt like smacking my head against the table in front of me. This was all Misa's fault. She was the one that messed everything up-series _and_ now. Not cool.

My eyes lifted from the table and glanced around the room. I caught L's eyes first, staring me down...

Here it comes. The dreaded question. I held his stare, waiting for him to say something. We both had blank expressions on our faces. I could sense that Kaida and Shai were staring at us, tension starting to fill the air. So they've seem to come to a mental agreement: they'll leave the explaining to me.

I finally blinked and shuffled my foot a bit, still sitting in my usual position. "Do you need something, Ryuzaki?"

L still held his stare, and for that I wanted to punch him. "No, I guess not. Though I _would _like to know how you managed to figure out that Miss Amane was the Second Kira. If you would be so kind as to explain to the Task Force how you've solved this issue, please do so."

"We did some investigating of our own in Aoyama. I didn't tell anyone about it because you wouldn't have let me go. We found a girl with a little black book, and we tried to catch her."

"Little black book?"

I blinked. _Damn! They don't know about the Death Note yet! Way to screw yourself over even more, Masako! YOU IDIOT!_

"It said 'Death Note' on it." Shai jumped in, saving me from saying anything else that I shouldn't. I could tell because she was giving me the evil eye.

"And a book with the title 'Death Note' makes you think that this person is the Second Kira?"

Shai looked to the floor, thinking hard about something. "Yes, I do."

"Why is that?"

The room got quiet again. L sat in his usual crouch, waiting for an answer. My thoughts were still reeling in my head. L continued to stare. It was that 'give me an explanation' stare. My mind was desperately trying to find some excuse, when Shai suddenly spoke up.

"The Death Note," Shai had a determined look in her eye as she continued. "The person whose name is written in this notebook shall die."

Silence.

…_we're gonna die. we're gonna die! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE!_

I shook my head a bit trying to clear it. I leaned in closer to display a 'come again?' gesture.

L pulled his thumb to his mouth, now understanding. "Hm…I see. Mogi!" The said man stood. "Search Amane's possessions and give me that black book." Mogi did as he was told. "Miss Tamaki," L's eyes never left Shai. "How did you know about this notebook?"

L had doubt in his eyes, but he was giving it a chance, at least.

_She's gonna rat us out! What the hell, Shai?_

"Misa bumped into Masako in the mall and her book fell open to the first page."

_Wait, what? _

"I just happened to pick it up and read some of the rules before Amane took the notebook out of my hands and began to run. I did manage to see a few criminals in the notebook. Cause of death and everything."

*blink blink*

Mogi returned with the notebook and handed it to L, who looked over it quickly. His eyes were taking in every single detail, every pen mark, every spare scratch, I would guess.

Oh, I see what Shai was doing.

"Hm…I'm going to need some time to look this over."

I let out a silent sigh of relief. It was a good thing he overlooked that one thing…

"I would also like to ask you: didn't it ever occur to you that maybe this person is trying to _find_ Kira herself?"

Oh no…

Shai put on a confused expression. "Elaborate, please."

"Didn't it ever occur to you that maybe Miss Amane wanted to catch Kira by trying to find patterns in his killings and just happened to be writing everything down in this notebook?"

"That's stupid!" I broke in. "It says 'Death Note' on it and have you NOT looked at the rules?"

"Perhaps. I'm just making sure we understand all of the possibilities of this situation before we jump to conclusions, as you and your friend did in Aoyama."

"Or she could be a wanna be Kira!" Surprisingly, that was Matsuda.

"That is definitely a possibility, Matsui."

Ok, so maybe if it was a regular notebook, it wouldn't be that suspicious, but the front of it states that whoever's name is written in the book dies. Of course, this is L, and he would just be considering every possibility. But really. Those rules are just a little over the top.

"I say she's guilty," I said with finality.

"And I'm not denying the prospect that Amane is."

"I wasn't trying to fight with you, Ryuzaki." Shai must've sensed the irritation in my voice because she got up and walked to the window, avoiding the glaring aura I was probably giving off.

My eyes fell on the clock on his computer and I looked at L with pleading eyes. He blinked. I cocked my head to the side and raised my eyebrows with wide, innocent eyes. He nodded at me and I beamed.

"Awesomesauce!" I raced to the door. Though it was still surprising that he let me go after all that happened. He must still trust me…or is this a test? Not sure.

"Masako," L said in a warning voice.

"Aw, why?"

L gave me his warning stare.

"Fine." Defeated, I turned to Shai. "Shai, come on."

She looked completely confused. She looked from me to L and back several times, eyebrows furrowed. After some time, Shai gave up and shook her head, obeying.

"What was that all about?" Shai asked me once we were out in the hallway.

"I have somewhere to be."

"What, so you guys have telepathy now?"

"Damn, you found us out…" I said sarcastically. "No, I told him about it earlier."

"About what?"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Why not?"

"Because you'll either laugh at me or give me an irritated look and say 'really?'"

"I promise I won't."

"I don't believe you."

"I'm not a liar."

"Oh, really?"

"Really!" I poked her and she poked me back. I'm sure you know where this is going.

"I still don't believe you!"

"Hey, if we're-OW!-going to be working on this case together, you have to trust me!"

"No I don't!"

Suddenly, I felt my head being pushed forward, ramming into Shai's.

We screamed in pain and while I fell to the ground, Shai held on to the wall for support.

"What the-oh, it's you."

Kaida smiled. "How many times do I have to break you two up? You're going to land each other in the hospital with one of your fights someday, I just know it." She nodded at her statement and offered a hand to me, which I reluctantly took.

When we began walking, Kaida made sure to stay in the middle so Shai and I wouldn't break out our war guns. That's never stopped us before, but it's highly effective.

"How'd you get away from Panda Man?" That was my little nickname for L, because of his eyes. It reminded me of a panda.

"I got up and left?" She suggested, as if the answer was obvious.

"You didn't get yelled at for leaving without permission?"

"Nope," Kaida said with a smile. "Just that amazing."

"You wish," I commented.

"Oh, I know."

My eyebrows narrowed. "You wish you knew."

"I know I knew."

"You wish you knew that you knew."

"I know I know that I knew."

"You wish you know that you knew that you know that you knew."

"I still win."

"You wish!"

"Are you really gonna start this again?"

"Guys…seriously..." Shai looked at us like we were morons, and I gave her the evil eye while Kaida pointed at her warningly, daring her to finish what she was going to say. "Nevermind…"

"That's what I thought," Kaida nodded triumphantly and continued walking. "Where're we going?"

….

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Really, Masako? _REALLY?_"

"Don't start with me! You said you wouldn't laugh or say 'really!'"

"That was before I actually saw where you were going!"

Really. I couldn't stand Shai. I wish L had never said I could go in the first place. Cause deep down I knew that I'd have to take Shai with me. Kaida I guess was ok to bring along. At least she knew when to keep her mouth shut.

"I can't believe you brought us here…"

"Well believe it! CAUSE WE'RE HERE!"

Where's here?

We're at a preschool.

Why?

I volunteered to help out.

Why?

Remember Kiyomi, the girl that came to the candy store about every day a few months ago? Her mom's a preschool teacher and they needed an extra hand. All I had to do was watch the little kids every day until the they hires a new caretaker. Apparently, the last one went insane and jumped off a building committing suicide. Before he got to the top floor of the Itoshi business building, someone asked him where he was going and his reply was 'those damn kids…'

But that's just a rumor. I mean, these kids look so innocent.

….

"GIVE ME BACK MY SHOE, YOU AROGANT LITTLE FOOL!" Shai leaped off the jungle gym, chasing a brown haired boy around the yard.

"YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME ALIVE!"

"THEN I'LL CATCH YOU DEAD!"

This seemed to make the boy run faster, and Shai get more irritated.

I'm a little neutral to kids. Whether I like them or not all depends on who they are. Kids in general are just annoying. I dislike kids-not hate them, as Shai does. But right now, I _despise _them. I regret coming here.

_THESE AREN'T NORMAL KIDS!_

These kids hate me. They keep chasing me around the playground! I was smart enough to climb a tree (which I've never done until now), but Shai wasn't so lucky. Kaida is actually making _friends_ with some of these kids, and I really think she should stop encouraging them to attack us.

"GO FOR THE FACE! NOW CLAW HER! TO YOUR LEFT! NOW GO IN FOR THE KILL!"

"Masako! I'm in need of your assistance!" Shai leaped over the end of the slide after the boy who was getting farther away by the second.

"I'm kind of busy, here!" At the bottom of the tree I occupied were preschoolers. I swear, they must've been sent by the devil himself. Or just Kaida. The point is, they were waiting at the bottom of the tree, staring at me hungrily like a pack of starving wolves. And what scared me was that they just sat there! They didn't do anything. They were just…waiting. Waiting for me to come down or fall so they can rip me limb from limb, scratching out my eyeballs and feeding them to the hounds. It was a frightening thought.

In the meantime, while Shai was chasing the little boy, another group of kids decided to take after her. It was the ultimate chase. If I wasn't stuck up in a tree, I would be laughing hysterically beside Kaida.

Panic began to consume me. This wasn't too good for my head; I just got back from the hospital. I'm sure it wasn't doing Shai anything good with her broken arm, either. My breath turned ragged and starting breathing faster. An onlooker would see me as hyperventilating.

Yeah. Worst. Day. Ever.

….

"Oh, hello girls. Have fun?" L turned his chair around to face us, but as soon as he did his eyes widened even more (as if that was possible).

There we were; the three of us. Shai and I were leaning on each other for support, our clothes ripped in various places and bruises/cuts covering our faces, hands, and legs. Kaida was the only one in perfect condition, smiling all the while.

"Yeah. _Loads!_" I hissed through gritted teeth.

Kaida spoke happily. "We should go again tomorrow."

"NO!" Shai and I screamed.

"Why not?" Matsuda asked innocently.

"They chased me up a tree!"

"And they stole my shoe!" Shai jabbed a finger in the direction of her sock, which was torn up and barely on her foot.

"I find that hard to believe," Soichiro stated.

"You expect us to believe that a bunch of _preschoolers_ did this to you?" Aizawa asked disbelievingly.

Shai and I stared at them, exasperated. "YES!"

They still don't believe us.

….

**Me: I know, short late chapters suck, but at least I updated. **

**Kaida: Haha…preschoolers…**

**Shai: **_**Very**_ **unpleasant beings. **

**Me: Yeah. Kind of pointless chapter. Deal with it blah blah blah… Next chapter's gonna be out…I don't know when. **

**Kaida: You said Ketsueki would be in this chapter!**

**Me:… oops…hehe…..must've forgotten about him.**

**Shai: How could you possibly…. *shakes head* I am ashamed of you. You should be ashamed of yourself, too. That's just low.**

**Kaida: *nods***

**Me: *sigh* Next chapter for sure…**

**Shai: LIES!**

**Me: Most likely…**

**Kaida: You will because I say so!**

**Me: ?**

**Kaida: *holds finger up warningly***

**Me: O.O ok….Ketsueki will be in the next chapter, promise!**

**Shai: You're word doesn't mean anything.**

**Me: I mean it this time!**

**Shai: LIES!**

**Kaida: Really, guys? **_**Really**_**?**


	17. Friend

***sigh* I'm not really too proud of this chapter cause I didn't read over it thoroughly, but I definitely got somewhere in the plot, so don't complain. I may stick the Wammy kids in…not the next chapter…but the one after that. K have fun with it, now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Code Geass. I own Ketsueki, and my OC's are my friends, so I can't really **_**own **_**them.**

A few days passed by since then. We've moved into the new headquarters; Shai, Kaida, and I getting our own _floors_ as well as everyone else who needed it. These past few days have been very boring. All we do is sit around and watch _Misa_ from a computer screen. I mean, come on! This is _Misa_! I've always been trying to _avoid _her face. Now I have to see it every day. And I'm sure Shai and Kaida are going through more suffering than I am.

Throughout the time I had just sitting there with my thoughts, I was pondering the last few days. L had let me go. I know he suspected me of knowing something he doesn't, so why let me leave without surveillance? Does he really trust me? Did he know I was coming back to the hotel, just because he knew me that well? Or did he send someone out to follow me? Whatever mind games he was playing, I didn't like them. And I really wanted them to stop. He's becoming unpredictable. That can be a problem.

I found out that that's part of the reason of why Shai and I don't get along. She's too unpredictable. I can't tell what she's going to do next, and when she does it, I'm completely caught off guard. If I don't know what's going to happen, I feel helpless and lost.

Sitting on a chair next to L, I twirled my hair as I thought hard. Misa was really getting on my nerves. What if she slips up and says something she shouldn't? But she won't remember anything! Rem will come along and take away her memories of the Death Note! Oh, but wait a minute. That won't work. Because that was Light's plan. And since Rem doesn't know Light, she can't carry out his non-existent plan. Great.

What about the Wammy Kids? Has L even considered what I've asked him to do? I mean, it is asking a lot and it _is_ dangerous, but the case would be solved faster.

I sighed, frustrated with myself and glared at the computer in front of me. First thing's first: Get rid of Misa's memories. How the hell was I supposed to do that?

…

I've come to a conclusion. I stood up out of my seat, still slightly hunched from sitting in a curled position, and walked silently to the door.

"Masako, where are you going?" Matsuda looked up from the papers he was filing through and gave me a curious glance.

"I'm going to my room. One can only take so much Ryuzaki," L shifted his feet a bit to acknowledge that he heard me. He wouldn't tear his gaze away from Misa, in case she did something suspicious. How that was possible while she was tied up and blindfolded, I wasn't sure. "Just kidding, Ryuzaki." He didn't move. I was sure he heard me, though.

Getting out the door and to the elevator proved to be more work than I thought. Security was tight here, and I had to go through multiple procedures to even go three feet. When I finally found my way to my floor, I stumbled rather clumsily. Falling to the carpet, as an effect of tripping over my own feet, I stayed there for a few minutes. I was too tired to move. Everything that's happened so far…it was all weighing down on me literally. I mean, I actually _felt _it. It was crushing me. I couldn't breathe!

It took me a while to realize what was really happening. "What the-off! Can't breathe!"

I heard the familiar laugh of Ketsueki as he slowly stood from where he was sitting on my back. I was surprised he didn't break my spine. I inhaled sharply, gaining the air that was absent the last few seconds. "What the hell?" I was careful not to use the shinigami's name. I was sure L had cameras up here, and if he ever happened to look at them, which I knew he would, he would know about Ketsueki. Of course, speaking and shouting at myself just now was suspicious, but hopefully this will just feed the fact that I'm crazy. I am running on sleep deprivation, after all. "Why?" I didn't look at Ketsueki as he replied.

"Just for something to do. It was the perfect opportunity."

I glared at the carpet that was under my feet while I stood, making my way to the desk. The room was pretty much white, which made me kind of nervous. I was such a klutz, and that can be a problem in a pure white room. Of course I enjoyed the color. I would just have to be careful. Not one of my specialties. "Why the hell am I such a klutz? Knocked the breath right out of me," was my smooth recovery. I'm going to have to pull a Light and talk to 'myself' in this situation. Hopefully, Ketsueki would pick up on it.

"Eh? What're you talking about?" Apparently not.

I reached into my backpack next to my desk and pulled out my laptop, placing it on the desk and seating myself in front of it.

"I wonder if any of my friends are online. I need to ask them for a favor…"

Ketsueki's head popped up behind my shoulder as he looked at my computer screen. "You're not on a chat site. What's going on?"

"Nope, I guess not. I'm too lazy to check."

I pulled up a video game and began playing. It was quite boring, actually. You just shoot a bunch of monsters. You're basic, standard game. Nothing special about it, but it kills time.

After a while, he caught on. "Oh, I see. You're afraid of L and his cameras. What d'ya want me to do?"

"Aw, man! I completely forgot about that new manga issue coming out! I so need to get that! Jeez, I'm only 15 and my memory's already fading…"

"Memory?" Ketsueki tilted his head in confusion. Looks like I'm going to have to elaborate more.

"Hm…I wonder if Misa did anything suspicious yet…I should really be down there…nah… I think I'll wait a while longer."

"Misa? Misa's memory?" I could practically see the wheels turning in his skull as I mindlessly shot the monsters on the video game.

I paused my game and rose from my chair, reaching for a pad and pencil I just bought a week ago. I scribbled something random on it, pretended to think, and roughly erased it.

"Erase…You want me to erase Misa's memory? But I can't do that! You know that only Rem can…" his voice trailed off as I played my game some more after tossing the pencil and pad aside. "Wait, you want me to talk to Rem, don't you?"

I smiled and fist pumped the air. "Yes! High score!"

"What's in it for me?"

I was irritated with his statement and resisted the urge to throw in an eye twitch with my next reply. "Oh, no! I forgot to buy cherries yesterday! Shai's gonna kill me!" I grabbed my pencil and scribbled 'cherries' on my pad, sighing with relief. "I'll get them later I guess…"

"Oh!" Ketsueki perked up at the mention of his fetish and I heard a swish. If I had to give my best guess, I would say that he was already gone. I smiled at my accomplishment. Now, we just have to see if it works.

Shai's POV

I was bored to the utmost extreme. Staring at Misa's face wasn't helping that. I was playing chess with Light in the back corner, with L and Masako sitting in front of the monitor on the other side of the room. Kaida was munching on another chocolate bar with a bored expression on her face and the rest of the Task Force members were trying their best to stay awake.

_What I don't get is why everything is going so fast. We should still be at the hotel, not headquarters. The hotel was where the task force interrogated Misa. Not here. So why did we move so soon? And Light's not supposed to be here right now…Should he? Oh, that's right…he doesn't have school matters to attend to since he's already passed most of his exams. _

_As far as I know, Misa hasn't met Light. So why isn't she confessing yet? She doesn't have a motive, other than to not go to jail. Or maybe she has her mind set to finding Kira at all costs? That could be a possibility. But the Misa I've watched on TV wouldn't do that. Love was what drove her on in the anime. But she doesn't have that now. So why the bloody hell isn't she confessing?_

"Check." Damn, Light's good. Of course, what else to expect from a genius, right?

So Light is now a prime suspect. That wasn't good at all. It was really hard to predict what was going to happen next. We've been here for a few days, and now Misa's fidgeting a bit. It won't be long until she asks Rem to kill her.

I made my move on the chess board, putting myself out of check. I then noticed that Masako was gone. _What's she doing?_ I thought for a moment. _I've also realized something else. Since Misa hasn't met Light, Rem won't get the idea to have Misa give up ownership of the Death Note. Damn… She's going to give us away, and that lie I told will be discovered! But the only one that can reach Rem without being seen is Ketsueki... _

I finally understood what Masako was doing.

My worries faded a bit, but they were still there. I just pushed them to the back of my mind to ponder later. Right now, I had to focus on the chess game and trust that Masako did what she had to do.

"Check," I replied lazily. I scanned the board for any moves he could make. No, he's stuck. That's good.

Light let out a half-hearted laugh. "Wow, Shai. I can't believe you beat me. What's your strategy?"

My eyes traveled from the board to his face as I replied. "I don't have one."

Light put on a confused expression. Was it…disappointment?

"I have tons of strategies I use, but most of the time I just wing it. Of course, I've had to pull a few strategies in this game, but they were so minor, I forgot what they were." I smiled a nervous smile, and he returned it with a bright one.

"I guess that makes sense. So winging it would be your strategy?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, I change my strategies throughout the game."

"Predictably unpredictable," I turned my head to where Kaida was leaning against the couch with her chocolate to her mouth, the same arm hanging over the back. She was smiling mischievously. Sometimes I wondered what was going through her mind.

"Yep," I nodded in agreement and turned my attention back to Light.

"Though I am curious as to why you kept moving your king."

I smiled knowingly at this reply. It was what Lelouch Vi Britannia did in Code Geass; he would always move his king. "If the king doesn't lead, his subordinates won't follow."

Light blinked once and nodded, thinking hard. "I see…"

"Oh, just kill me!"

My head turned at the annoying voice. _Here it comes…_

This kind of went on for a while. Then suddenly…

"Mr. Stalker? Hello? Mr.? Where are you right now? D-Do you think we can stop this game?"

"Huh?" Matsuda looked on with surprise.

"Stalker? Where'd she get that? What's with the new attitude all of a sudden?" Aizawa stared at the monitor, confused.

"Mr. Stalker. This is illegal-you have to stop! Ok? Come on, please?" Misa's voice was growing more fearful by the second.

I mentally nodded. It had to be done. Of course, this is just a plus for Light. If Misa gets her memories back later, she can still be an important asset to achieve his goal, no matter how much I hate her.

"She's been acting like this ever since she gained consciousness."

"Seriously…Does she think she can get out of this just by playing dumb?"

"Ok, how bout this: you can at least take off my blindfold, don't you think? It would be nice to see what you look like."

L pulled his thumb from his mouth and held out his hand towards Matsuda, not taking his eyes away from the screen. "Matsuda, call Mogi for me."

I could just see the exclamation point appear above Matsuda's head as he reached into his vest pocket. "Just a second." He dialed the number. "Here," he handed the phone to L.

"Mr. Mogi, when you apprehended Misa Amane, you made it clear that she was a suspect, am I correct?"

After a while of speaking with Mogi, Misa began to plead once again.

"What if I gave you an autograph or shake your hand? I know! I can give you a kiss on the cheek if you want! Oh, come on! I won't run away, I promise!"

L began to interrogate her more, and she kept giving stupid answers. I was thinking about stepping in and interrogating her myself, but that would be completely irrational. I don't know what to say, and me asking her questions won't make much of a difference. L probably wouldn't have let me anyway. Matsuda grabbed the microphone and told her to stop playing dumb. Well, she didn't. She can't. She has no memories of the Death Note or the Second Kira.

I could tell just by looking at the situation. From here on out, things are going to be different. Much different.

Masako's POV

When I walked into the room, L waved his hand for me to come closer. I walked to his side and found the result I had wanted. There she was, asking to be released. Trying to bribe her 'stalker.'

"Wh-What happened, Ryuzaki?"

"It appears that Amane has forgotten these last few events and claims that we are her stalkers."

"Oh…" I stared at the screen, thinking hard. What do I do now?

Then she started going on about how she needed to go to the bathroom. At this, I rolled my eyes. I could only take so much of Misa's voice in just two minutes.

I tried to tune her out, but a few words managed to slip through. Such as…

"You pervert!" Misa struggled some more.

L tilted his head at the monitor with a blank expression. "I'm a…pervert?"

I tried so hard not to laugh, but failed. Soichiro gave me a warning stare. "Masako, please take this seriously."

At this, I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. Watching this on the computer and actually being there were two different things. Being there was just hilarious.

After about thirty seconds of laughing, I calmed down a bit. All eyes in the room were on me. I glanced once at Misa and back at the Task Force, and made my announcement. "Ok. You want me to help? I'll be right back." I walked out of the room, leaving everyone to wonder what I was up to. Since L didn't send someone after me, I was guessing that he wanted to see what I was planning, or just didn't care. I skipped to the elevator and pressed a button.

Shai's POV

"She's not going to-" I stopped myself right there and Kaida let out a laugh. The Task Force glanced warily at us, and I shook my head. "Masako, you idiot…She better hope this works."

"I can't believe she's going to go through with this," Kaida shook her head disbelievingly, and stared hungrily at the monitor.

"Better her than me. I wouldn't last ten seconds."

"I'm sure you wouldn't."

"Guys, what are you talking about?" Matsuda asked, his eagerness kicking in.

"You'll see," at this, I turned to the monitor and so did the rest of the Task Force. But what they saw surprised all of them.

Masako was there.

Masako's POV

I stepped carefully into the room. Watari looked up from his cart of…I want to say torture tools, but I wasn't sure. I moved my finger for him to move closer so I could whisper something in his ear. He turned to the camera once, and nodded toward me, leaving the room shortly after.

Stepping very lightly, I made my way to who now looked like a rag doll.

"Misa Amane?"

She gasped and fidgeted a bit. "Who are you? You're voice sounds familiar."

I reached up to take her blindfold off, but a computer like voice stopped me.

"Don't touch her. If you take off her blindfold off, you could be killed!"

I continued to reach for the blindfold.

"Masako!" The computer voice yelled with urgency as I removed the blindfold.

Her eyes were fearful as she looked down at me. "You…I've seen you before…You chased me through the mall!"

I blinked. Ok, she remembered that part. Not part of my plan, but I guess I'll have to go with it. "Misa, do you remember why you're here?"

"What? No one ever told me! Please, just let me go! Don't tell me _you're _my stalker! Look, if you want to hang out sometime, I could set it up personally!"

"Misa," I eyed her and she fell silent. "The girl that was with me before, do you remember what she told you at the mall?" Of course she wouldn't.

Misa shook her head violently. "You didn't talk to me! You just started chasing after me!" See?

I nodded. "Misa, listen to me. You are here under the suspicion of being the Second Kira."

Her eyes widened at this and she looked at me disbelievingly. "But why? I didn't kill anyone! I'm innocent!"

_Bull shit…_

"It's ok, you're only a suspect. We're not a hundred percent certain yet." Well, that was a lie. All evidence points to her. Of course, she doesn't know that…because her memories were erased!

"Th-Then why am I here?" she asked quietly.

"Well, you're a suspect. Here." I reached up and undid the harness, and I caught her before she fell to the floor. "This should be easier. I can't let you go, considering the fact that you're still under suspicion, so why don't we talk for a bit?"

Misa was a little disoriented as she took in her surroundings. She finally noticed me and nodded quickly. I walked across the room and pulled up two small chairs that I asked Watari to bring. We sat in front of the camera.

"I should really introduce myself. Call me Masako."

Misa nodded. "So where exactly am I?" she asked; her voice was still a bit shaky.

"Well, we're still in Japan."

"Oh," Misa looked at her hands and began fiddle her fingers a bit. I could tell that she was still alert, though.

"So do you live in Tokyo?" It was a random question, but I didn't know what else to say.

"Uh, no…I came here for a visit…"

"Why'd you come to visit?"

"I can't remember…" Misa's voice trailed off as she looked at me with sullen eyes.

"Ok, that's fine."

"W-What about you?" she asked timidly.

"Here? Tokyo's my birthplace. My family moved to America, and I brought my friends here because it was their birthplace as well."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How'd you guys meet?" Misa was starting to lighten up a bit, slowly, but she was.

"Well, our families have been friends for years. They came to American shortly after my family did, and a few years later, I came here."

"Is your family here now?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"What? No parent or guardian to take care of you? How old are you?"

"Haha…no and 15," I laughed a bit more.

"Why would they do such a thing?"

"They know I can take care of myself," I paused for a bit and then continued. "What about your family?"

She hesitated, but slowly came out of her shell. She told me about her past, about the stalker and her parents, and anything else, like experiences from when she was a little girl. She left out the Death Note part, of course. She wouldn't have told me anyway, even if he could remember.

Soon enough, we were in a pleasant conversation. We laughed, joked, and on my part, I was mostly honest. Mostly.

I was sure Shai and Kaida were looking at the monitor with disgust right now. They hate Amane's guts. It's not helping that their best friend is actually making friends with the girl that got in the way of everything.

To be honest, Misa isn't really that bad. She's fun to talk to. She's one of those people you can't just observe from afar; you have to actually talk to her. Ok, so she wasn't that bright. But I found out that we had a few personality traits in common. It wasn't long before I was telling her about Shai and Kaida, and my own personality as well.

After we talked for a few more minutes, her face grew serious. "Masako…"

I raised my eyebrow when she hesitated. "Yes?"

"Isn't someone watching us now?"

I blinked. I completely forgot about them. To confirm my past memories of the camera, I turned to face it. Sure enough, it was there. "Yes."

Misa made an 'oh' sound and looked like she wanted to say more. Apparently, she wasn't comfortable with the current situation anymore. "Who?"

"Who what?"

"Who's watching us?"

I blinked once. Then twice. "I can't tell you that. But I can tell you that my friends are watching us now." I smiled and she returned it. 

"What are they like?"

"My friends? I already told you." I said with a laugh.

"No, I mean the others."

I blinked. "I don't think I can tell you that, either…"

"Can you just describe them for me? You said you enjoyed working with them. What kind of people are they?"

I laughed and smiled. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell her about their _personalities_. "Well, alright." I positioned myself on my chair in my usual position and twirled my hair. "Well there are Shai and Kaida, you already know about them. Then there's the one with the temper. He's pretty cool, though. Once you get to know him, anyway. He's the first person you'd go to if you need to teach someone a lesson." My smile got bigger as I continued. "One is pretty silent, and I'm not sure about him yet, but it's nice to have him around. Then there's the serious one, always making sure everyone's on task. He's quite admirable with the way he handles things. Then there's the bright and innocent one. He's often referred to as an idiot because of his child-like attitude, but he's really sweet and caring.

"There's a new member on the team, and he's pretty smart. Actually, he's a genius! He gets along with just about everyone, and I bet you Shai kicked his butt in chess just about an hour ago!" I tried to sound enthusiastic when talking about Light, but it was exceptionally hard. "Then you have the creeper."

Misa blinked. "The creeper?"

"Yeah, at least, that's how most people view him, but he only does the things he does because they're necessary. He's childish, but he's awesome! I guess you can say he's like a father to me cause he's always looking out for me during the case. He has an unhealthy sweet obsession. I swear that's all he ever eats. Cake, candy, sugar, more sugar…sometimes he eats strawberries and watermelons, though I'm not sure why."

Misa laughed. "Does that mean he's fat? I mean wouldn't he have died of an overdose?"

"You know what, Misa? I'm surprised he didn't die of sugar overdose. And he's not fat. It's probably because he uses his brain to burn calories instead of physical exercise," I shuddered at the word 'exercise.'

"Really? I've never heard of that."

"Well, it's true. So if you want to eat an endless amount of cake, you gotta use your brain."

"Ew…work…"

"I know! That's what I've been saying!"

"So what's it like when they're all together? Do they get along?"

"They actually work together pretty well. It's good to have balance in the system. They're practically my family."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, we're a team. We look out for each other."

"Wow…That must be nice. I wish I had friends like that…" Misa smiled a sad smile.

I blinked at her statement. "Well, I could be your friend."

Misa looked up at me with really wide eyes. "You mean it?"

"Yep."

Misa beamed the biggest smile I'd ever seen, even in the anime.

I stood from my chair and stretched. "Well, I should be getting back. I'll talk to you soon, ok?"

Her smile faded a bit, but never left her face as she nodded. I turned to the door and made my way to the elevator.

"Uh…"

"Oh…"

"Um…"

"Wow…"

Shai's eye twitched and Kaida just stared at the screen with horror as soon as I walked into the room. If it wasn't for the Task Force in the room, Shai would've exploded on me right then and there.

I walked over to L and sat next to him, looking first at the monitor, then at everyone else. "Well, how'd I do?"

L's voice broke the short silence that followed. "Masako…I believe you are the most irrational person I've ever met."

I stared at him disbelievingly. "I highly doubt that."

"Well, now we have her trust," Matsuda threw out in my defense. "That's good, right?"

"Yes, I guess you're right, Matsuda. Good work, Masako."

I smiled at this. "Thanks!"

_Two hours later…_

Kaida's POV

"You do realize the consequences of her actions, right?" I heard Ketsueki pop up behind me as I walked through the deserted park.

"Yeah. After all of this, things aren't going to follow the plot line anymore. What with Masako's stupid moves and Shai's counter attacks, who knows what'll happen next."

"You gonna do anything at all?"

I thought for a moment. "Nope," I shrugged. Enjoying the peace and quiet, I sat down on a bench and stared up at the stars.

**I was thinking about putting a cliffhanger here, but I didn't really feel like it cause I couldn't come up with anything good. So I just left it at that. I should really be doing my final projects now, but I really don't feel like it. Since I have all sorts of finals and final projects, I may not update next week. Sorry, guys. :P Anyway, see you in the next chapter! **


	18. Misa's Release

Aw…you guys leave such sweet reviews. :3 They make me HAPPY! Anyway, last chapter I said that Light passed college. Why I put that, I'm not sure, but I went back and changed it. He didn't pass college yet, he just passed his exams. Sorry about that guys! :P

**Oh by the way, I keep forgetting to thank sevviephantom and Willowofthemoons for helping out and giving me ideas for this story. :) It means a lot! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, Star Wars, or any songs in this chapter. **

* * *

_The road I walk is paved in gold_

_To glorify my platinum soul_

_I am the closest thing to God_

_So worship me and never stop!_

_The wretched blood runs through my veins_

_I gave up everything for fame!_

I sang pretty loudly to one of my favorite songs: Don't Stop by Innerpartysystem. It was incredible how much this song fit Light. Except for a few parts, such as the next few lines…

_I am the lie that you adore_

_I feed the rich, fuck the poor!_

"Masako!"

My singing came to an abrupt halt as I turned to face L, taking out a headphone so I could hear him. "Yeeeeeeees?"

"Please refrain from using such language while you're here."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, repositioning myself on the couch I was sitting at to rest my elbow on my knee instead of the arm of the couch. "Ok," was my reply.

_It just don't stop_

_I got, you want, it just don't stop_

_This is entertainment, lies are entertainment_

_You are down on your knees-_

"Masako."

"What now?" I glared at L, my patience wearing thin. I once again took out my headphone, looking extremely irritated. Why couldn't I sing to just one song in peace?

"Please stop singing," L stared at me with dull eyes. It was in complete contrast with my indignant ones. As you can see, I wasn't in such a good mood.

"Why?'

"It's distracting."

My eye twitched. "What if I sing quietly?"

"How quietly?"

"Quiet enough for you to get off my case."

"You'd have to be silent, then."

I huffed and folded my arms, leaning back on the couch. "What am I supposed to do now? I'm not even allowed to sing to pass the time! What kind of cruel being asks a sweet innocent girl to stop using her beautiful voice?" I asked teasingly, flipping my hair in a full-of-myself way.

"The kind that doesn't want distractions while he works," L turned to face his computer.

I pouted and crossed my arms again, giving L the evil eye. This lasted for about thirty seconds. Then:

"You do realize that staring at me like that isn't going to make my head explode," L stated with his back still turned to me.

"Hey, hey, hey, now. What would make you think that?"

"Because you're always trying to use this thing you call 'the force,' which I still cannot comprehend."

"Actually, I was trying to burn a hole in your skull, but exploding works, too. Wait, wait, wait. You've never seen Star Wars?"

"What's a Star Wars?" Matsuda piped up from the corner of the room, a handful of papers covering the bottom half of his face as he tried to stretch his neck to look over at me.

Kaida snickered while Shai merely blinked, then returned to whatever she was working on at her computer.

"You've never…? I don't know how you people get by in life," I jumped up from the couch, my Ipod hanging from my neck and the headphones wrapped loosely around my arm, trailing to my wrist. I wasn't sure how that started, but I figured I had once just had a klutzy moment and the cord somehow got wrapped around my arm and I was too lazy to remove it. After that, it kind of stuck. "I'm gonna go make some cake. Any requests?"

L's ears perked at this and he slightly turned his head.

"Chocolate!" Kaida had her hand in the air excitedly, waving it around in a 'Me! Me! Pick me!' gesture.

"Vanilla!" Matsuda yelled eagerly from the back.

"What about you, Ryuzaki?" I tilted my head toward the said man. He was staring at me blankly, though the eagerness was plainly written in his eyes.

"Strawberries."

"Do you want _just_ strawberries, or strawberries on the cake?"

"Both, please."

"Sugar coated?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Whipped cream?"

"If you'll please."

"Chocolate covered?"

"Yes."

I sighed. Of course he wants all of _that_. I don't understand why he just can't eat the strawberries on the cake I give him. "Okie dokie then. Anyone else want anything?" When I got no reply, I shrugged and skipped away to the kitchen, my sour mood gone thanks to my favorite food in the world.

* * *

When I was done with the chocolate/vanilla cake with strawberries on top, I placed it on a sweet cart that Watari was kind enough to let me use. The plate of just strawberries for L was right next to it.

As soon as I walked into the room, I had seen that all hell broke loose while I was away.

"GIVE IT BACK!"

"I DON'T HAVE IT!"

"CALM DOWN!

"Where's my cake?"

"MATSUDA, YOU IDIOT!"

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WATCH THE MONITORS!"

"I'M SORRY! I ONLY LOOKED AWAY FOR ONE SECOND-"

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE!"

"I KNOW YOU HAVE IT!"

"I DON'T! I SWEAR!"

"I JUST SAW YOU!"

"I'M NOT LYING!"

"WHERE'D SHE GO?"

"HOW AM _I_ SUPPOSED TO KNOW?"

"Watari! Please get me more tea!"

I sweat dropped at the scene and cleared my throat.

"QUIET!" The room filled with silence. Shai stopped chasing Kaida around the room, Mogi stiffened from the corner, Watari stayed silent a ways away from everyone, and all eyes were on me. "Now what the hell is going on?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Everyone began speaking at once. I heard DS, Misa, cake, and strawberries.

"QUIET!" I barked once again, louder than last time. The room fell silent. "Ryuzaki, I have your strawberries right here. I even took the liberty of getting you some tea, so Watari, stay where you are. Kaida, give Shai back her video game or I won't give you any cake. Matsuda and Aizawa, check the cameras again. Misa couldn't have gone far. I'll go look around for her and call if I find anything. Light and Mogi, clean up this mess." Thanks to Kaida and Shai, furniture was knocked over left and right, and papers were scattered on the floor.

At the mention of his name, Light looked up from the files he was leafing through. "Why us?"

"Because I said so," I gave him one of my death glares and he blinked, quickly getting up from his seat.

"We have work to do, Mogi," at this, Light picked up the nearest chair and set it upright.

I nodded and rolled the sweet cart up to L, giving him a slice of cake and his plate of strawberries.

L eyed the cake like there was something wrong with it.

"What up, Ryuzaki?"

"It's a little small for my liking…" My eye twitched. This was the biggest slice I cut, and it wasn't small at all.

"Dude, you got chocolate/vanilla cake with strawberries on top, and multiple strawberries on the side with various toppings. Don't push it or I swear one day you'll get fat. Right now, I need to go find Misa," Before L had the chance to reply, I raced out of the room and into the elevator.

_Why isn't L saying anything about Misa getting loose? He would've freaked out or something along those lines. And he just let all that chaos continue? So what, I'm not allowed to sing, but everyone else is allowed to scream at the top of their lungs and chase each other around the room? What the hell?_

After checking a few floors, I stopped. _Or maybe…_

I pushed the elevator button, going to one of the empty floors.

* * *

That's why Ryuzaki was calm when Misa escaped. It was because she _didn't _escape. He let her go. She's going to be under surveillance, but she's free from that isolated room.

Now, I was sitting on Misa's bed (she now had her own personal floor) as I listened to her talk animatedly about how she was going to meet the Task Force. As soon as she mentioned this, I was shocked. I didn't think L would let her meet the Task Force, but I guessed that somewhere along the way, he realized that Misa wouldn't accept that she was being watched by someone she didn't even know. Well, that's something L would do, but knowing Misa, she would commit suicide or something. And L was determined to solve this case, which meant keeping her alive…

No, maybe I'm just over thinking things again.

I wasn't sure what I was going to say to Misa about the whole Kira bit. What was I supposed to say? I couldn't really change her opinion. I mean, her parents were killed by a criminal, and she'd always wanted revenge. Then Kira killed the criminal…

No, I couldn't talk to her about something like that. Everyone was entitled to their opinion. Some thought that Kira was good, others thought he was bad. No one really knows what justice is. It doesn't say anywhere in print 'justice is…' To be honest, I've always believed that justice was just something that people made up. It's not like love, hate, or joy. It's a completely separate word. If you think about it, justice is quite similar to revenge. And that's just what it is.

I've always considered justice something like Karma. You do something, and it comes back on you threefold. Karma seems to love to get payback on me quite often. Every time I do something wrong, even by accident, I always end up walking into a door, tripping over something, or getting hit by bystanders. That would just be my klutziness, but I blame Karma. If anyone, Karma was on Kaida's side. It _never_ went after her.

"Masako? Are you even listening to me?" Misa screeched in my ear. I jumped with a start and turned to Misa's pouting face.

"Uh…uh…" I struggled to find the right words. If I said I knew what she was talking about, she'd ask me what she said, and then she'd know that I was lying. If I said that I didn't, well, I wouldn't pass off as a liar, but either way; she's still know I wasn't paying attention.

_Ugh, why am I over thinking this? It's just Misa!_

"Haha…not really…" Might as well be safe and tell the truth.

Misa whined and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Sorry, Misa. I'm just thinking about some stuff, that's all."

"What kind of stuff?"

Great. Now what do I say? "Just…stuff."

She blinked and a cat smile spread across her face.

"What?" I asked, slightly wary.

"Are you thinking about…_boys_?" Misa's smile got bigger and her eyes narrowed in a knowingly way.

I narrowed my eyes with disgust. "Of course not. I wouldn't waste my time with such insignificant ideas."

"Wha-Insignificant? Don't you ever dream about finding true love?"

I scoffed. "No way. True love is just a fairytale, and nothing more."

"True love is _not _a fairytale! Someday, _I'm _going to find my true love! We'll be together forever! And then I'll prove you wrong!"

I thought of what she would do when she met Light. This wasn't going to go over too well. I had the urge to say 'I wonder if I'll ever see the day _that _happens,' but I didn't feel like getting on Misa's nerves.

"Whatever you say, Misa," I shook my head and headed for the door. "I'd better go see if everyone calmed down yet." I was mostly talking to myself because I hadn't told Misa about the mess a few floors below.

* * *

"Ryuzaki, why'd you let her out of that confinement room?"

By now, the room had quieted down. Kaida really did have Shai's video game (surprise, surprise), and L had instructed Watari to escort Misa to her room earlier today. Turns out, Matsuda wasn't even paying attention to the monitors like he was supposed to. But hey, that's Matsuda for you.

I cocked my head questioningly as L answered. "Amane apparently isn't going to tell us anything. It seems that she has no memory of the past events whatsoever."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Matsuda replied, flustered.

"You never asked."

"Ok, so how do you know that she has no memory?" Aizawa questioned roughly.

"Just yesterday, I had Watari set up a lie detector test."

"And?" Shai leaned forward in her chair with irritation, probably because she didn't get a chance to torture Misa while in her little prison.

"She passed," the Task Force was baffled.

"She's probably just a really good actress," Kaida pointed out.

"It's possible, but I doubt it," surprisingly, it was me who answered. Whether I stick up for Misa or not, L's answer was final, so I might as well show that I have at least _some _sense. "Keep in mind how Misa acted when she was in confinement. She seems to be the overemotional type. She panics a lot, I'm sure. Even if she _was_ a good actress, that wouldn't stop her heart rate from going up," I said in my monotone. "Did you check her medical records, Ryuzaki?"

"Yes. Nothing was found."

"Then she doesn't have amnesia…or at least she doesn't have a history…Her head's in perfect condition, correct?"

"That is correct. I had Watari check."

"That complicates things…" Wait. If Rem erased Misa's memory, then… "Ryuzaki," I gave L a frightened look. "Come to think of it, where did you put the Death Note?"

L swiveled his chair around and took a key out of his pocket, slipping into the lock of a drawer and opening it up. His eyes clouded with surprise.

"What's wrong?" I rushed to his side to find that he was staring in an empty drawer.

"I had placed the Death Note right here," L continued to stare as I eyed him thoughtfully.

"Did you ever leave the room?"

"I always had the key. When I was away, Watari would watch over it…"

"Are you sure you didn't misplace it?"

"I'm sure. I checked the drawer every day to analyze the notebook…"

I thought really hard. _That must mean that Rem waited a while to take the Death Note away. Probably to lift suspicion off of Misa. If Misa's memory disappeared and so did the Death Note, L would see the connection. Damn you, Rem!_

"Did you look at any of the rules?" I questioned L.

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

"I've discovered that anyone whose name is written in the notebook will die-" Shai coughed loudly from the other side of the room. L ignored her and went on. "-and that the note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his or her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds," L explained quickly. "There are more, but those were the main ones. One of the rules also mentioned there being a shinigami…A god of death…I wonder if, by any chance, shinigami exist…"

"The shinigami may have taken it…" I finished for him.

"That's proposterous!" yelled the Chief. "There's no such thing!"

"Besides, we didn't even test the notebook, yet. For all we know, it's a phony," Aizawa expressed his doubts.

"That would explain why it went missing, but I find shinigami a hard thing to believe in…" L said mostly to himself.

I wasn't sure, but I didn't think that the Death Note itself said anything about losing ownership of the Death Note and losing memories. I knew that was a rule, but were _all _of the rules in the pages of the Death Note? Or were they just told by the shinigami? I never knew the answer to that. _The best thing to do right now would be to just play along…_

"Ah…" was my intelligent reply.

"We need to find it. Search headquarters! Everyone! Be sure to check Misa's floor especially!" the Task Force obeyed L and scrambled around, trying to search for the black notebook. Shai, Kaida, and I went in search for it as well.

* * *

After a few moments of silence, Aizawa spoke up. "Well, what do we do, now?" He asked impatiently.

"There's really nothing we _can _do at this point, Mr. Aizawa," I replied with fake saddness in my voice. "It's gone. There's nothing we can do about it."

L closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just…go home. Everyone. We're done for today."

The Task Force obeyed, saying their farwells and leaving. I stood there, leaning against the back of Kaida's couch (which she apparenlty claimed to be her own) and looking over my shoulder at nothing inparticular, lost in my thoughts.

* * *

Not much happened after that. Misa met the Task Force the next day, and was allowed to sit in the same room as everyone else as long as she didn't bug anyone. Of course after seeing Light, she gawked at him the entire time. This made my eye twitch, and I'm sure it was really unnerving for Shai because when Misa wasn't admiring Light, she was glaring at her. The Death Note obsessor would shoot a glare right back at her, and a staring contest would erupt.

Light noticed their little staring contest and pretended not to notice, looking away nervously. It was clear that he wasn't comfortable in this current atmosphere. I wasn't either. I kept shuffling my feet and looking at the walls, unsure of what to do besides stay quiet, listen to my music, and look over files.

And that's pretty much how the next few days went. It was really quite a bore. After a week, I was about ready to explode. One can only take so much silence. I'm surprised Shai didn't blow up on Misa yet. Kaida, of course, was never around. She just got up and left whenever she wanted. I was told to stay and help with the case, and since the Task Force and I can't go anywhere, Shai can't either. It was like we were all on invisible handcuffs, except for Kaida. Kaida would just stand back on the scene and laugh at our inconveniences.

Kaida got a haircut while she was out. Instead of it being in a ponytail, she had it cut shorter to the bottom of her head. Her hair now was pretty much made up of curls, and it was bye-bye, gel. Her hair was shinier than before. You could actually see the gold in various parts of her hair. Sometimes when I looked over, she would blow a curl out of her face with annoyance, which made it hard for me not to laugh at her. One of her basic accessories were the feathers that hung off of her ponytail, but now with that gone, sunglasses took their place.

When I finally managed to get out during that week after explaning to L how I was going crazy, I managed to get my hair cut as well. It wasn't down to my waist anymore. It was to my shoulders, and it felt pretty good to have all that weight off of my head. After that, I didn't get as many headaches like I used to.

Well, the truth isI kind of cut it myself. You see, Shai was calling me a hippie and making fun of my long hair so I grabbed some sissors and cut it right then and there, all thanks to my short temper with her. Of course, the manager from the convenience store we were at (to buy some candy for yours truly) told us we had to _buy_ the sissors because I'd already opened the package during my rage fest.

Shai was laughing her ass off and I was giving her a glare, threatening her with my newly found weapon. Then someone called the cops because my threat sounded _real_. So we made a break for it, Kaida laughing hysterically behind us.

L was told what happened after I got taken in because Shai told him why I wasn't there when he asked. L came up with some story to tell the cops, setting me free. I also got a lecture on how being violent is a 'bad thing' while Kaida and Shai were _still _laughing hysterically, holding on to each other for support. I now wasn't allowed to leave headquarters without the supervision of one of the Task Force members, besides Kaida and Shai.

But hey, I got to keep the sissors.

* * *

We had work off, today. Believe me when I say that _everyone _needed at least one day off. Our heads were pounding, Aizawa got into another fight with his wife, and Soichiro could barely stay awake. Everyone else was just stressed out.

The only people in the room were Ryuzaki, Shai, Kaida, and me. Misa was up on her floor, doing who knows what and Watari was away for some purpose that wasn't made clear to the three of us.

I was basically wearing all white again, in one of my 'don't talk to me' moods. I just threw on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt for the day. I had moved my laptop to the floor, and I was sitting in the awkward way that Near had out of habit. Kaida was sitting on her couch which was facing the door. Both of her elbows were resting on the back of her couch, one of her hands holding a chocolate bar that she was currently nibbling on while the other hung there loosly. Her usual attire was a black leather vest and a black shirt underneath with black baggy jeans. Her jeans had multiple pouches in them to store all of her chocolates and surprisingly, an apple or two. She called them her 'magic pockets' because she can store a huge amount of chocolate in them at a time.

Shai was sitting on the other side of the room, staying as far away from me as possible, making sure she wasn't bothered. She was sitting in a chair with her feet resting on the high table in front of her. She was leaning forward and hunched slightly, focusing intently on the DS game she was playing. She wore baggy jeans like Kaida, with multiple pockets, only Shai had two small, clean chains hanging from hers. Right now, she had a red and black striped shirt with a black jacket, the cuffs of her sleeves unbuttoned. She kind of reminded me of Matt. Shai wore red and black everyday. Nobody really switched colors around that much. The only thing that seemed to change was with Kaida, who wore a different necklace everyday because of her obsession with shiny things, and with me, who wore a skirt from time to time (if I was in a good mood).

I was just glad to have the day off. I was now randomly searching for things on my computer, trying to find out as much on Kira as possible for anything I might have missed in the anime.

I heard shuffling from behind me. "Where're you going, Ryuzaki?" I asked curiously, only momentarily taking my eyes off of my computer screen.

He must not have heard me, because he left without a word. I sighed and shook my head turning back to my computer screen.

About ten minutes passed until I finally heard the door open. I turned my head and was completely shocked at what I saw.

Standing there, before my very eyes, were the ones that I didn't think I was going to meet for a _very _long time.

Mello, Matt, and Near.

* * *

**Mello: YES! WE'RE IN! *high fives Matt***

**Me: K I'm not sure how I did in this chapter. I'm not really caring, considering the fact that I got it done! :D **

**NOTICE: ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM THIS NOTICE AND ON WILL BE KIND OF RANDOM.**** At least until I get some ideas and some smart stuff for Light to pull during this story. It probably won't contribute much to the case, so don't get mad if none of the stuff from here on out has anything to do with Kira. **

**Near: Something **_**will **_**happen, though, right?**

**Me: Well yeah, of course. I'm just going to put a bunch of random stuff up until I think of something. You know, like what changes when the Wammy kids are actively involved with the case and all. **

**Kaida: Cool. Start writing, now. **

**Shai: Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you…WRITE!**

**Me: That's not going to work on me again…you already tried it before, remember?**

**Shai: *mumbles* Damn it…FOILED AGAIN!**

**Me: This week is finals week, so I can't write anything during that time. I'll probably get the next chapter up sometime next week or the week after. See you in the next chapter!**

**Ketsueki: And I'd better be in that one!**

**Me: *sigh* **_**Maybe**_**…**


	19. Time to 'Converse'

**Hey, people! I had to quickly write this chapter cause I promised Shai that I'd put it up cause she's suspected to have mono so I gots to make her feel better! :D FEEL BETTER, BUDDY! **

**Thank you to the MANY reviews I got last chapter! :D They make me happy! Sorry guys, I think I'm about to let you down in this chapter… hehe…**

**Just a warning: I'm somewhat disappointed with this chapter because NOTHING HAPPENS! I wanted something epic to happen, but it didn't turn out as great as I thought because I couldn't think of anything. I guess I wasn't in the writing mood today. I have more of Near in this chapter than anyone else, well, cause he didn't have much story time before and I needed to fix that. :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or any songs in this chapter. **

…..

Mello, Matt, and Near.

I expected thoughts to rush through my head the moment I saw them, but this wasn't the case. I wasn't sure why; I guess it was just from all the stress from trying to 'find' Kira.

As soon as my eyes rested on the Wammy boys, nothing but intent observation passed between every single person in the room. Of course, L was always observing, but this was different.

My eyes scanned the three, taking in every single little detail. They appeared to be doing the same thing with Kaida, Shai and me. Nothing seemed to be different about them. Mello still had all his leather on, but without the scar, Matt seemed to have put his DS away beforehand and looked like he didn't give a damn whether he was here or there. Near was the same; white hair, white pajamas, dull eyes.

The Wammy boys looked completely at ease. Actually, scratch that. I couldn't really tell. Whether they were at ease or not, Near stood there with a bored expression on his face, Matt and Mello was staring at Kaida, who was giving them a surprised look as well. Apparently, she didn't see this coming so soon, either. And Mello and Matt never knew that Kaida had access to this place or that she was involved with the Kira case.

We were there in absolute silence. Shai, Kaida and me just looked like a bunch of copycats compared to the other three. If it wasn't for all the stress and pressure L was putting on us, we would've automatically jumped on them with hugs or at least show _some _excitement. Shai had actually paused her game and was staring at them as well. Kaida had her chocolate bar clenched between her teeth, and I was looking lazily from one Wammy boy to the next, my eyes resting on Near. His eyes trailed to mine, and for a second, I thought I would look away.

It was then that Kaida snapped her chocolate, the sound echoing throughout the room. At that, Shai returned to her video game and I slowly looked back at my computer, continuing to look Kira bits up.

"These are my top three successors. Mello, Matt, and Near," L introduced bluntly. Shai nodded without looking away from her video game and I shuffled my feet. Kaida was still staring at them; only this time, she had a very creepy smile on her face, her chocolate still in her mouth, and her eyes wide and observing. "Boys, this is Shai Tamaki, Kaida Amaya, and Masako Nagawa."

_Of course he would tell them our full names…Well, good thing they're aliases...Come to think of it, did I ever tell L that? I know Light knows…but does the rest of the Task Force? Eh…I'll tell them when the time is right…_

"I have some business to take care of with Watari. I'll leave you six to get to know each other. Masako, Shai, don't kill each other while I'm gone." Shai tapped her foot on the table and I tilted my head a bit, then let it return to its normal position to let him know that we heard him.

As soon as the door closed, Mello spoke. "What are you doing here?" I assumed this question was directed at Kaida.

"Oh, you know…Just hangin," Kaida replied with a shrug, nibbling on her chocolate some more.

"Just hangin? You could've told us that you were working with L!"

"I didn't start working with him until I came back."

Matt wandered to the couch across from Kaida and sat himself down, taking out his DS.

Mello gave Kaida an 'I'm watching you' look and took off his boots, setting them by the door.

I heard some shuffling behind me, though I didn't turn around to see who it was. It turned out to be Near, who sat on the floor next to me. I tilted my head and looked at him. He returned the stare for a bit, then turned to my computer screen. Disgust made its way to his face as he eyed the website. I raised an eyebrow and clicked the 'x,' closing the Kira site. He looked at me once again as I shuffled my feet, turning to face him on the spot.

I eyed his position and gave him a look. "Are you mocking me?" I asked warily in my monotone. I already knew he wasn't, but I wasn't supposed to know about him.

"No."

The silence continued. Well, between me and Near. Kaida and Mello were in a conversation. They were the only voices that could be heard at the moment.

"So…pickles and chocolate? _Together_?"

"I know…it's so _weird_!" Kaida said the last word in her high chipmunk-like voice.

"Do they really have that?"

"Apparently."

I decided to tune out their conversation since I had terrible timing, and pay more attention to Near, who was looking at me expectantly. What was I supposed to say?

"Hi…" I let my voice swing a bit in an attempt to ask him what he wanted.

"Hello," Near twirled his hair and continued to stare. Then he smiled his awkward smile and continued. "I've heard a great deal about you, Masako."

I blinked at his statement and tilted my head again. "Oh really? And from who did you hear this?"

Near frowned a bit as if the answer was obvious, which it was. "Ryuzaki, of course."

I nodded and turned to my computer screen, staring at the blank background. "Is there anything you need?"

"No."

"Then why are you staring at me?"

Near stayed silent for a moment and I could practically smell the smoke. I knew I hadn't been what he'd expected. Apparently, L didn't tell him about my 'I don't care about anything' mood.

"Good question," he replied. Instead of turning away from me like I thought he would, he continued to stare.

"Are you going to answer it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know the answer."

"Fine," I turned my head to my computer screen again.

"Near, stop flirting with Masako!" Mello yelled with a smirk on his face. Kaida laughed, and I was sure I could hear Shai laughing as well. Near rolled his eyes.

"Flirting?" I asked. I knew he wasn't, because if Near tried flirting with anyone…well…that would end in complete failure, so I would've known.

"Just ignore him…"

I sighed and stood, walking over to Shai, Near watching my movements like I was Kira himself.

Shai and I didn't fight constantly. Actually, when it all comes down to it, we get along better than most of the Task Force members. But that's the thing-anything that's really good can get really bad in the long run. It's like the consequences from both sides are equal.

"Did you beat that game yet?" I asked.

"Which one?"

"The one you got yesterday."

"Of course I did. I also beat that other Final Fantasy one. Just take both of them back; I'm not going to play them again."

You see, that's how Shai works. When she beats a game that she's not that attached to, usually within a day, she'll take the game back the next day. She plays and beats the game, _and _she gets her money back. She quit her job some time ago so she could live off of L's funds as were Kaida and I. Plus, Shai hates to work there, so she would have quit either way.

"No…I think _you _should take them back…I'm not feeling up to anything anytime this week."

Shai shrugged. "Alright, then."

"Hey Masako!"

I resisted the urge to throw something random at Kaida and turned around on the spot. "Yes?"

"Can you make us some chocolate cake?" This seemed to catch Mello's attention because he raised his head from Kaida to look at me with wide eyes. Whether those were pleading eyes or not, I wasn't sure.

I sighed heavily. "Did you not hear what I said to Shai? I'm not feeling well enough to do anything."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaase?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you loooooooooove me," Kaida leaned forward on the couch and gave me an over exaggerated thankful smile.

"I do?"

"Yep!"

I closed my eyes, sighed, and shook my head simultaneously. "Fine…" At this, I slowly headed for the kitchen.

"Hey! You make her cake, but you can't go to the store to return my video games?"

"That's correct."

I was sure that Shai was frowning after I said this. Before I made my way to the kitchen door, I caught Near's eyes and motioned for him to follow me.

When I saw him get up, I resumed my retreat into the kitchen for a third time.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" I asked Near as I took out a bowl and some ingredients.

"Not necessarily. Making conversation with you would have been nice, that's all."

"And why is that?"

"Ryuzaki told me all about you."

I eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of 'all?'"

Near reached for his hair. "The accomplishments you've made and your contributions to the team throughout the case."

"Anything else?"

"No."

I turned my head to him. As soon as my eyes met his, a spark of anger flared up in me. "You know…" I turned on my heel and walked towards him. He was seated on the side of the table furthest away from me. I rested my elbows on the table and looked him in the eye. "I don't like to be lied to."

Near blinked. "I am not lying to you."

"Yes you are," I said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"How do you know whether I am lying or not?"

I raised my finger, slowly so I wouldn't startle him, and poked him in forehead, keeping it there as I explained. "Because I know for a fact that you're a liar. You didn't think L told you about me without him telling me about you, did you?" I removed my finger and walked to the bowl on the counter, mixing what was soon to be the batter. "Not only that, but I can see it in your eyes."

It sounded really weird, but it was true. For certain people who hide their emotions constantly, it's easy for me to tell whether they're lying to me or not. I'm just very observant in their behavior, probable because I'm more wary around them, and it's like another sense I have.

"See it in my eyes? Interesting…"

Despite the fact that I wasn't feeling well, I felt like singing. I was cooking, after all. I grabbed an ear bud from around my neck and put it in my ear, turning on my Ipod and choosing a beat that was slow enough for my weak voice to follow. I skipped through a long beginning of 'Oh Death' and began to sing.

_But what is this that I can't see_

_With ice cold hands taking hold of me?_

When God is gone and the devil takes hold

_Who will have mercy on your soul?_

_Oh Death_

__Yes, what a cheerful song.

…..

Shai's POV

I felt like jumping up and down and squealing.

_The Wammy kids! HERE! I didn't expect them to come so soon, though…but who cares? THEY'RE HERE! _

My foot twitched a bit with frustration as I attempted to slay the monster before me. I could never get passed this part…if I'm really that stuck, I'll ask Matt to help me out later.

But then I thought about it. _Why would I ask him for help? I should be doing this on my own! Besides, I wouldn't seem so smart if I show them that I can't even beat a monster in a video game and I'm out to catch Kira. _

As Masako is, I'm glad we have a day off. Not that I do much anyway, but hey, I finally get to relax. I really needed a break from all of the Task Force members and their stupidity. Especially Aizawa, I never really liked him. Not that I had anything against the Task Force, but it's kind of frustrating how they're looking for answers that I already have. I wonder if that's how Light or L feels because they're geniuses. Until now, I've never had to actually explain something so thoroughly to anyone before. With the morons at my school, I don't even bother because they're not worth my time, and with explaining school work, I only do enough to pass by.

Meagan and Amanda (as they were in our world) were in all honors classes. I was just as capable of being in those classes as well, but I'm an underachiever, so I don't have to work as hard. With the amount of knowledge I display in my work in classes, it would make sense that Amanda and Meagan were ahead of me. Of course, Amanda is slowly not caring and there's been a slight drop in her grades, but I'm still seen as behind. Meagan has a steady pace with her grades. It's strange how we can call Meagan 'Mello' and Amanda 'Near' while Meagan is usually the one that's always winning, in some twisted way. I found that quite funny, actually. The word…it's on the tip of my tongue…_ironic_.

That's what I hate about honors. They put all this pressure on you, and you don't even need it. The pressure isn't real-it's not there. It's fake. They're only testing you because they want to see if you can work under pressure. And I just don't care enough to listen to what the teachers have to say. I can get just as much knowledge in one class as I can in another. If I was really interested in a subject, I'd take honors in that class, but I don't see how any of the things they teach in subjects like science and history would matter to me once I finally get out of that stupid school.

I was originally supposed to move to South Carolina, but I managed to get some sense through Mother's thickheaded skull and she let me move in with my dad, who lives about an hour away from where my current school is. This way, I don't have to say 20 years from now that I graduated in hicksville.

I sighed heavily as the monster killed me, once again. This was getting old, so I shut off my DS and gathered up enough courage to stand on my feet and walk over to Kaida, Matt, and Mello.

I sat myself down next to Matt and peered at the game he was playing. I had no idea what he was playing, but it had tons of guns and tanks. If I wasn't feeling so lazy that day, I would've asked what it was and checked out the game myself.

Looking around the room, I noticed that two people were gone, not one. "Hey Kaida, not that I care for the nitwit, but where'd Near go?"

"Followed Masako into the kitchen," Kaida muffled through her chocolate bar.

"Well, anyway," I stood up and stretched, going over to sit beside Kaida. "I threw up my feet on the table and looked at the two Wammy kids. "I guess I should introduce myself, well, _myself_. I'm Shai Tamaki. And you're Mello and Matt, right?"

Matt nodded from his game and Mello grunted through his chocolate.

The kitchen door opened and Masako walked out, slowly I might add, with Near trailing behind. He walked over to Masako's computer and sat himself down, clicking and typing for whatever reason he was on there.

I blinked. Masako _never _let anyone touch her computer.

"Near, get off of my computer."

Haha, _there _it is.

"So where's my cake?" Kaida had a smile on her face and she was literally bouncing up and down on the couch with excitement.

"In the oven."

"Aw…why can't you bake it faster?"

"Because in order to make cake, it takes time," Masako's eye twitched with annoyance as Kaida pouted.

"When will it be ready?"

"Half hour or so."

"That long?"

"Uh…yeah," Masako gave her a 'you're really stupid right now' look and Kaida pouted more.

"So what shall we do while we're waiting for Kaida's beloved cake to bake?" I asked as I leaned back, resting my hands behind my head.

"Uh…I dunno," way to be helpful, Kaida.

"I think you should _get-out-of-my-files_!" Masako stomped over to Near and grabbed him by the ear, giving him a death glare. "What did I just say? I told you to get away from my computer, that's what I said!" It seems like Masako hit another mood swing. Or maybe she really didn't want anyone to touch her computer. I'm guessing it's both.

Masako has a temper sometimes (depending on what the subject is), so whenever something ticks her off even the slightest, BOOM! She sets off. Yeah. Usually not a happy camper. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually pity Near at the moment. It's only a nanometer by nanometer block of pity, though. That's what he gets for killing Kira in the anime! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *ahem*

Masako's POV

I let go of Near's ear and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side where he originally way. Blowing up on him probably wasn't the best thing to do now that he knows that I love my computer. I can just tell that he's going to use it against me later at some point.

"Boy, if you're gonna be at headquarters, you need to follow the rules. Rule number one: no touchy the laptop. If you do, expect hell to descend upon you and rule out your fate, and I assure you, it is _not _going to be a good one," I sat myself in front of my computer with frustration.

Kaida and Shai laughed from the other side of the room while Mello merely smirked. Near sat there shocked, rubbing his now probably throbbing ear.

After I calmed down a bit, which only took a few seconds, Near spoke.

"Why are you looking up sites on Kira?"

"To learn everything I can," I kept my eyes to the computer screen.

Near blinked and stared at me for a bit.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

There was silence. Apparently, Near didn't expect me to pick up on what he was doing. He was looking through my history. What, did he think I was stupid?

"I'm…not sure, yet."

I nodded. "I guess that's understandable. L probably told you that you can trust me, and you're not so sure yourself, right? I'm still just a stranger. Of course, there's a possible chance that _because _I'm smart, L wouldn't trust me…"

"That's not true."

"…?"

Near blinked and turned his attention away from me. "I don't want to give you L's opinion if he didn't give it to you already. It's not my opinion to share."

I nodded. "That's fine."

I knew what he was going to say, though, and he knew that I knew as well.

L's trust is somewhat split. When it comes to the actions I take, L trusts that I know what I'm doing, even if it's not entirely safe. But he knows that I'm hiding something from him, he just can't figure out what. I'm not denying the fact that I have something to hide, which is making me more suspicious. L trusts me in my abilities, but he can't trust me in telling him everything. That's just how it works.

"Hey, Masako. I got a call from the preschool again," Shai and I shuddered at the word as she continued with an evil smirk. "They're gonna need us to come down again tomorrow."

"NO! I _refuse _to go down to that _stupid _school!"

"Aw come on, Shai. They're not that bad."

"They stole my SHOE!"

I loosely raised my hand without looking away from my computer screen. "They also chased me up a tree," I stated in my monotone.

"You just want to go so you can encourage them and laugh at us!" Shai pointed out indignantly.

"No matter how true that may be, Masako's the one that volunteered for us to go in the first place."

"_Masako_," Shai said the name with disdain as she turned to me with the evil eye.

"Preschoolers?" Matt finally spoke, his DS now put in his pocket.

"We're taking you guys with us. You'll see what I mean then," Kaida smiled mischievously.

I heard the door open and looked up from where I was sitting. "Ryuzaki!" I smiled and bounced up happily, rushing over and throwing my arms around him. Again, I hit one of my mood swings. "Ryuzaki! You gotta help me!"

"What is it that you need help with?" L asked as he carefully removed my arms from his waist.

"Kaida's dragging us back to the preschool tomorrow!"

L looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Masako, I highly doubt that _preschoolers _are going to land you in the hospital."

"Ok, they might not, but they'll tear me to shreds, just like last time!" I looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping that he'll get me out of going somehow.

"Get me out of it, too!" Shai didn't yell (she never did); she just raised her voice so she could be heard.

L sighed. "If they bother you that bad, then pass off an attempt to get on their good side."

"Those children don't _have _a good side," I said with resentment.

L made his way to the computer and sat in his chair.

Well, it was definitely going to be an interesting day tomorrow.

…..

**See? Told you nothing happens! Anyway, like I said before, this chapter was out before it was supposed to be, and I kind of wrote it down quickly cause I made a **_**Japanese pinky promise **_**to my friend that I'd get it up for her. And you and I both know that swallowing 1000 needles isn't on the top of my to-do list. **

**I'll see you guys later, and hopefully the next update be a bit better. :P**


	20. Battle of Wits Part 1

**I'm UPDATING. Finally. Ok now, let's see where this all takes us. This chapter's short and for the first half nothing happens, but trust me; things will get better in the next chapter. But I'll need some ideas! You'll see once you're finished reading.**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing but my OCs (my OCs? They're real people what do I say?) **

…..

Kaida's POV

Ever get that feeling of complete loneliness? When you know that no one in the whole wide world cares? When people look down on you because you're inferior to them? Because you're not that smart, or good-looking, or you're just a flat out loser?

Ever get that feeling that you just don't belong?

Since I love being the bearer of bad news, I feel that it's my duty to tell you that they're probably right.

Haha, gotcha there, didn't I? I was only kidding! Hahaha…Actually no. No I wasn't kidding. *smiles happily*

Know why I think this way? It's because anyone in my position would have ran for the hills at this point. I mean, the three of us are different than everyone else; I'm sure you've picked up that much. We're all very bright; not to stomp on anyone's pride or undermine you or anything. But we're only like this because this whole experience changed us.

I'm not saying that _you're _not smart. Most people in the world appear to be morons. But let me tell you something.

_Everyone_ has knowledge. Being a moron doesn't mean that you're stupid in the knowledge sense. It means that you're stupid in the sense that you _have _knowledge, but you _choose _not to use it. _That _is a moron. This is also the definition of ignorant.

But moving on.

Don't get me wrong; even me, the ever so awesome Meagan, was completely stunned by the past events. I might not show it, but yes, I have other emotions besides whatever those emotions are called when you laugh at people because they failed pathetically.

Some probably wouldn't have been able to take the pressure. I mean, I'm practically a shinigami that still needs to learn about her powers. I have to be _extremely _careful not to say my friends' real names. I have to remember a complete back story for us. I have to sit back and watch my friends outsmart L and Light, now combined with Mello, Matt, and Near. That's _five _super geniuses. _Five_! And me, Amanda, and Marichka are just some random high school girls who got sucked into it all. I'm surprised we made it this far.

To be honest, I expected us to die as soon as our eyes met L's.

Ok, that may be over exaggerating. But you know what I mean. Ok so there's this Death Note flash game on deviantart by silentreaper, right? The whole point of this flash game was to persuade either Light or L to let you join their side. Marichka took Light's path. I believe she died only once from the Death Note, but when she tried again, she won. Of course, L was a lot harder. Amanda took L's path…and…well…it took about 8 or 9 tries until she finally won. She either got arrested by L or he just told her to go home and the game was over.

It was quite an amusing game, actually. I got to sit back and watch Amanda spaz every time she lost and Marichka laughing and commenting on how badly she sucked. You know as well as I do that if they can't even get passed a flash game, there's no way in hell they'd be able to face the real thing.

But surprisingly, they've done it. _We've _done it. A few of you may have been able to do it, too. Or maybe not. I don't really know, and I don't really care. The point is _we're _here. _We're _up against five geniuses. _We're _facing the mass murderer Kira. _We're _the ones that are put in danger every day. And _we're _the ones that are perhaps in even more danger than L himself. I'm telling you: the last thing you want to wish for is going to the Death Note world. Not that I don't enjoy it or anything. It's just that any moment in time, if you deem unworthy, you _will _be killed.

What am I doing? I need to stop rambling. You guys already know most of this stuff. Time to move on.

…..

Masako's POV

Preschoolers. The worst beings on the planet. _Preschoolers_. The word itself makes me sick.

Since Mello and Matt had nothing better to do, and Ryuzaki decided to be nice that day, the two Wammy boys tagged along with us. As for Near? He refused to come along, saying that he was perfectly content with helping L solve the Kira case. I was sure it was just because he hated the outdoors. I made a mental note to taunt him later about being a vampire.

Right now I was sitting in the back of Matt's car, lazily switching to another song on my Ipod. Shai was in the front seat with her head resting against it, living it up beside an open window. It was silent for most of the ride. It didn't take that long to get to the preschool, anyway. Shai, Kaida and I just walked last time, so it wasn't that far.

My window was open and I found my arm slowly creeping out of it, waving it through the air. It felt good. Then I had a terrible image of an oncoming vehicle swerving off its side of the road, making Matt veer a little to the right...a telephone pole or just some random streetlight tearing my arm off. At this thought, my arm quickly retreated and my eyes grew wide. I could just hear Kaida's voice now. _That's right…FEAR the streetlight…_

I shook my head and leaned back in my seat.

Mello's motorcycle came up from behind us and got on the left side of the car, probably trying to pass us. I could tell because he was picking up speed pretty fast. Kaida sat behind him, her arms lazily hanging on to the point where I thought that one tiny swerve of the bike would send her flying. But Kaida was stronger than she looked, so there wasn't any need to worry.

Matt looked completely at ease, and not at all surprised when Mello got so far ahead of us to where we couldn't see him anymore.

Two minutes later, and we were there.

Ok, so maybe it took us a while to walk to the preschool before. It was really hard to keep time, nowadays. The preschool looked like any other school. That's just what they _want _you to think. They want you to think that that school is actually _normal_. Bright, happy, bubbly kids skipping through the hallways and looking as if they were born to be there. I'll tell you right now that this is not true. These kids stay as close to the walls as possible (for some reason I don't understand) and most of them wear dark clothing. Those who usually wear bright colors are the ones you need to look out for-they're the smartest and most cunning of all.

"Masako."

I looked up from my Ipod and stared at Shai, waiting for her to continue.

"I want you to know that I've always viewed you as an enemy, but I think now's the time to set aside our differences."

"Why?"

"Because I have a feeling…that…" The air seemed to tense up at this moment. "…that…we won't make it."

I sweat dropped. "Oh?" Though secretly I knew she was right. This was the end.

"Y-Yeah…I…I think this is it for us," Shai reached into her pocket and took out a pencil. She reached into the glove compartment and began searching for something to write on.

I pulled some sticky notes from my pocket and handed them to her.

"…" Shai closed the glove compartment slowly and eyed me suspiciously. "…Really, Masako?"

"I'm a very forgetful person," I replied in my monotone.

Shai shook her head and grabbed the sticky notes, scribbling something on it and dramatically let her hand fly off the pad when she was done, similar to Mikami. She pulled the top sticky note off and handed it to Matt, who read it with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't worry, you'll make it out alive. These kids don't harm people like you and Mello," Shai said with certainty. It was true. The kids here would get down on their knees and beg to have Matt and Mello join 'their side.' The thought of Matt, Mello, Kaida, and the preschoolers all on the same side sent a shiver down my spine.

"What is it?" I peered over his shoulder to see what the message was.

"Her will," Matt answered with slight happiness in his voice.

_If and when I shall cease to live my dull and apathetic life, all of which I own will go to Matt. I repeat: Matt. NOT you, Masako! ~Shai Tamaki_

I huffed. Well then. "Um…Shai…you don't really _own _much…"

"Video games," Shai shrugged as if the answer was obvious. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matt beam.

"Awesome!"

Shai eyed him. "What're you trying to say…?"

Matt's smile quickly disappeared. "Uh…come back safe, beautiful," Matt then gave a nervous smile as an attempt to pass of as sincere.

Shai nodded. "That's what I thought."

"Hey, Mello's bike is here. Him and Kaida are inside already, probably going over the plan that'll send us to our deaths. I think we should go back while we still have a chance," I suggested nervously.

"It's too late now. Kaida will find us eventually and you know how she works." I nodded at this. When you avoid punishment from Kaida, she gets back at you later three times as hard. What could be worse than death? Kaida knows, and I _don't _want to find out.

Matt opened the door and stepped outside, shutting it before lighting a cigarette. Shai and I followed after. I walked over to the other side of the car and smacked Matt on the head. His cigarette fell out of his mouth and he grunted at the impact.

"What the hell-"

"The caretakers could be watching! Stay above the influence," I scolded him, quoting the commercials I've seen many times on TV when I was back in my world.

Shai and I kept our eyes open while we made our way to the school; I swear, no one blinked except Matt, who was completely at ease. If we did, they'd strike, and we were smarter than that. Once we got to the doors, Shai abruptly stopped and grabbed my shoulders, turning her entire body to face me.

"Masako…this is it. This is our final goodbye."

I nodded. "You've been an awesome enemy." I winked and gave her a thumbs up.

She smiled and we pushed open the doors together, preparing to face our doom. "Truce?"

I hesitated for a bit, then smiled and nodded. "Truce."

The secretary nodded from behind the desk, giving us permission to walk the hallways. We were only a few steps from the Door of Doom. I put my hand on the knob, but before I turned it, I turned my head to Shai.

"Hey, by the way. When they start chasing us, I'm SO tripping you."

Shai's eyes widened. "Wha-"

She never got to finish that interjection.

"Ladies first!" Matt smirked from under his orange goggles.

I opened the door and pushed Shai into the room.

I looked around with panic and grabbed Matt's arm, shoving him inside as I had done with Shai. "Genius gamers second!"

I sighed with defeat as there were no more people to throw in. I then shook my head. _Quit stalling! _I stepped into the room reluctantly.

All eyes were on the three of us.

The kids were gathered in a circle around Kaida, who had…blueprints of the school? How did she get those?

Only one name popped into my mind: _Mello_.

Speaking of whom, he was just leaning up against the farthest wall by the back door, nibbling on a chocolate bar. Kaida and the kids just stared for a bit, waiting for our reaction.

I decided to be the brave one and take a step forward. Their eyes followed my movement. It was…kind of creepy.

_Ok…let's try this!_ I raised my hand and put it in front of me. The eyes followed my hand. I blinked and slowly raised my hand in the air. They followed my movements, once again. It was like one of those creepy paintings that had eyes that followed you everywhere!

I put my hand down and slowly retreated behind Matt, using him as a shield. Suddenly, I pushed Shai forward, just to see how they would react to a sudden movement. Due to the little push I gave her, Shai's knees and back were now slightly bent and her neck was bent a bit as well. Before she could straighten herself up, someone broke the silence.

"SACRIFICE!" Kaida yelled, pumping her fist in the air. The children yelled out a battle cry at this signal and stood up, preparing to charge.

Matt casually sidestepped out of the way and walked over to Mello, who greeted him with nothing but a mere nod. Since my shield had fled from the battlefield, I needed a replacement. I leapt behind Shai, who whipped around and grabbed me, forcing me to be in front of her as _her _shield instead. I did the same thing, and it went on like this a few times while the preschoolers were doing only Kaida knows what. We looked kind of pathetic, actually. We just chased each other in a circle. When we'd both had enough, we broke out into a wimpy slap fight.

We then both stopped in mid-slap as we were reminded of where we were. We turned our heads to find the kids looking at us like we were stupid. Hey, I would've done that, too.

Shai and I exchanged fearful looks and raced out of the room, and hearing the kids yell behind us didn't help with preventing panic from rattling our brains and disrupting our thought processes. Without the ability to think clearly, we were pretty much screwed in this situation.

We were running all over the place. I was quite irritated by the fact that _none _of the caretakers were aware of what was happening. _Where did they all go? It's not vacation time, yet! _

I pulled Shai into a room and shut the door. I heard the kids run passed us, unaware of where Shai and I were hiding. I smirked. As Kaida would've said at this time: _Just like in the movies._

It was pretty dark, but Shai and I knew better than to turn the lights on. At this point we were out of breath, leaning on each other for support.

"Sh-Shai…where…where's your…cell phone?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

Shai felt her pockets. Once she checked each one, panic crossed her face and she paused.

"What's wrong?"

She stuck her hands in each of her pockets, doing a thorough check. Her movements went faster with the more pockets she checked.

_Don't tell me…_

She lifted her arms and let them fall on her legs in defeat. "Meh…"

"You _lost _your cell phone?"

"I must've dropped it when they were chasing us."

I let out a small laugh and raised my head, using the movement to get rid of the hair in my face. "Great…GREAT! _Now _what're we supposed to do? We can't call for help!"

"Keep it down…they'll hear you," Shai glanced out the small door window. "I don't see them. I think they're gone." She reached for the handle and opened the door about a centimeter of the way, that is, until I stopped her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"They're gone, now's our chance!"

"We can just…stay here. We'll wait until it's our time to leave this wretched place!"

"You know those kids are going to check _every single _room in this school, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"…Masako…_We're _in a room!"

"We'll find a place to hide in here!" Our voices were gradually getting louder, but we didn't notice.

"Come on, Masako. What happened to that bravery you showed back there?"

"Oh, I don't know, Shai. I must've dropped it when they were chasing us!" I quoted her with a sneer.

Shai rolled her eyes. "Child."

"Loser," I murmured as she opened the door. We looked down the hallway left and right. So far, so good.

Shai and I slowly crept along the hallways, as far off to the side as possible. I felt like we were some spies in a movie or something.

Inspired, I started to whisper sing as we continued to shiftily walk through the halls.

_There's a man who leads a life of danger…_

Shai rolled her eyes.

_To everyone he meets, he stays a stranger_

_With every move he makes, another chance he takes_

_Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow…_

_Secret Agent Man!_

"Masako!"

"I can't help it, ok? The scene is perfect."

"Songs only work in the _background_ of the scene…you know, so the characters _won't _get caught!" Shai hissed.

"Sorry, jeez…"

Shortly after, Shai immediately stopped walking causing me to bump into her. "What up?" I asked with irritation. And she had the nerve to call _me _slow.

"The ceiling."

"You know what I mean."

She crouched down to the floor and held out her hand, letting her fingers run across a wire/string that I hadn't noticed. It was attached from one side of the hall to the other. When I followed the string upwards, there was this small contraption on the normal height ceiling. I mentally slapped myself for not noticing it before. I activated my sense of smell and sniffed the air.

It smelled absolutely terrible, but you couldn't smell from down on the floor. It was probably set up that way so we wouldn't notice. What it was, I wasn't sure.

"Smell that, Shai?"

She gave me a confused look and sniffed the air. "A little. Why?"

I pointed up at the bucket. "It's that."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Absolutely. You can't smell it too well from the floor, which is I guess how it was set up."

"What would this _do_ though? What would it accomplish? It's such a small bucket in the middle of the hallway, and if we weren't in the middle of the hallway when we triggered the trap, it wouldn't hit us."

"Wrong."

Shai raised an eyebrow and inspected the string closer. "Ah, I see."

There were other strings attached to the main string and a few metal like parts on the ceiling. It didn't take L to figure out that it's been set up to hit its target every time.

"What _is _that smell, though?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, we would've been easy to track, no doubt," I answered.

Shai nodded. "Which was probably its purpose."

"There's also another purpose."

"Hm?"

"This design looks way too obvious to miss."

"Ah, that. Yes, I had a feeling that this was just a test."

"I'm sure it was. They _want _us to know that they're going to do pull more pranks on us."

"Which means they'll want us to fight back."

I let out a laugh with a smirk on my face. _Of course they do…_ "So a battle of wits? Against _preschoolers_?"

"No. Against preschoolers, Kaida, and possibly Matt and Mello."

I huffed. This was going to be harder than I thought. Kaida was dangerous enough as it was-now she has a bunch of preschoolers working for her.

"Then I guess it's time to start planning," I stated with determination.

…..

**Hm…kind of shorter than the rest of the chapters, but that's only because I was at a loss for what to write. Hopefully I'll come up with some neat tricks. Anyone have any ideas, message me cause I wanna hear them! I'll be waiting… :3**


	21. Battle of Wits Part 2

**I KNOW! I'M BACK! And it's only been a few days since I last updated! This is the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm actually quite proud of it, too! There aren't a lot of pranks here as I would've hoped, but I find this chapter epic nonetheless! A lot of you may think that this whole preschool bit is random and irrelevant, but you'll see… ;)**

**Thank you to…**

**the one who loves pickles: for the paintball guns idea**

**sevviephantom: her own traps (Shai) **

**Virtual cookies to you guys! X)**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing except my OCs… eh…**

"_Then I guess it's time to start planning," I stated with determination. _

Shai and I stepped over the wire carefully and started through the hallway again.

"Because of this trap, there are bound to be some children around here to see whether we sprung it or not."

I nodded at Shai's statement, but kept my eyes ahead of me. "Kaida is obviously in control. When we entered the classroom, you know, the first room we entered, she had those blueprints."

"Yeah, where did she get those?"

"I'm not sure, but I think Mello had something to do with it. If not, then the preschoolers know their way around here pretty well."

"Anyway, about the blueprints?"

"Oh, yes," I continued clearing my throat as we continued my whispered explanation. "The blueprints had markings on them. They planned something out-"

"Obviously."

"-and judging by the small circles on those prints, the kids have split up in stations all throughout the facility."

"Wonderful."

"I'm thinking we should get a hold of those blueprints."

"Eh?" Shai stopped and turned to me, surprise grazed her features. "Isn't that kind of dangerous?"

"Well, of course. Don't worry, Shai. We're in this together!"

Shai looked at me funny, and my face fell as an epiphany struck.

"The problem is," I continued, walking ahead of her. "We don't know where those blueprints are now."

"With Kaida, for sure," I heard Shai's footsteps behind me, so I didn't have to turn around and ask her to pick up the pace.

"And that means we can't really get a hold of them, now can we?"

"I guess not."

"Just another random thought…"

"Yeah?"

I tilted my head and let my shoulders sag, stopping in my tracks, and biting my lip.

"Masako, keep moving!"

"Why did Ryuzaki let Mello and Matt come with us in the first place?"

"Huh?" Shai gave me a full on confused expression.

"I mean, they just got here. Why would he send them off so easily? Wouldn't the wisest decision be to keep them at headquarters so they can get used to things and not let them run off with us?"

"I don't know. But now's not the time to think about that. Keep moving!" She repeated as she shoved me forward.

I huffed, walking forward slowly. "Just a thought!" I repeated. Shai seemed to have enough of my slow paced movements after a few moments and walked briskly around me, keeping a good amount of distance between me and her. "Shai, where are you going?"

"Be quiet!" She whispered and peeked around the corner. "It's clear, come on-pick up the pace, already!" I was still a ways behind, suddenly snapping out of it and stumbling to her side.

"Ok, where do you think Kaida could have gone?"

"I'm not sure yet. That's what we have to figure out."

We turned the corner.

Not the best idea.

Why?

A small batch of preschoolers stood there with…_guns_?

Shai and I froze on the spot, no one in the hallway daring to move. They had _guns_. WHAT THE HELL?

I voice suddenly began speaking. It was hard to tell where it was coming from, but it sounded like they were using a speaker.

"_Masako. Shai. How about we make a deal?_"

My eyes widened as I recognized the voice. _Kaida…_

"What do you mean? What deal?" I asked as I searched for her voice.

The voice chuckled darkly, which sent a shiver down my spine. "_We have only two hours left until we have to leave this place. Surely you don't want to leave without having fun…_"

Fun? What did she mean by _fun_? "U-Um, Kaida! How about we…um…play checkers or Twister? That's fun!" I suggested, trying to veer her away from whatever topic she was getting at.

"_Even if I _would _consider that 'fun,' this is more entertaining. I have a task for you to complete._"

"What kind of task?" Shai asked with warily.

"_You're task is to find me._"

"Huh?" I asked.

"_You have two hours to find out where I'm hiding. Since I'm feeling generous today, I will give you a heads-up. You will face a few obstacles _and _my preschool army. Let me tell you the rules._"

My ears perked at this as Kaida continued speaking again.

"_As much as I would enjoy it, no killing. You are not permitted to leave school grounds. If you try to escape, we _will _come after you! You are not permitted to _burn _the school down. You will not be allowed to use the phones. Don't even bother trying to call for help; I've disconnected all of the phone lines and internet as well. If my preschoolers apprehend you before your two hours is up or if you fail in your quest to find me, the game is over and you lose. Any questions?_"

When Shai and I didn't say anything, Kaida began spoke again. I could just see her smiling on the other side of that speaker. "_Good...Then let the games begin!_"

I blinked rapidly and turned my attention to the five or six children in front of us.

"ATTACK!" shouted one of the kids. The group did as they were instructed and notched their guns, aiming at us.

"Shai, run!" I turned my head to find her, well, not by my side. She was already running in the direction that we came.

"I'm one step ahead of ya!"

"Wait for me!" I ran clumsily after her, dodging bullets here and there. That's when I noticed a large, red, splattered dot on the floor. _Is someone bleeding…?_

When I finally caught up with Shai, she was running out of energy fast. "Come on, Shai! Keep running! They have guns!"

Shai then turned to me disbelievingly. "They're not _real _guns, you idiot!"

"They're not?"

"No, they're paintball guns,"

"Then why are we running?"

"Because they hurt like a bitch! And don't forget; Kaida said no killing!"

"Oh…right."

"Now shut up and RUN!"

We managed to run out of their sights, making a few turns until we stopped to catch our breath.

"Oh, yeah! We're cool like that!"

"Don't get all hyped up yet, Masako."

"But we escaped! That's something we accomplished!" I felt the adrenaline go to my head and I inhaled sharply.

"Don't you dare break out into so-" But it was too late. I had already started singing and dancing a little happy dance.

_Go on now go walk out the door!  
_

_Just turn around now_

'_Cause you're not welcome anymore!_

"Masako, you idiot! Now's not the time to be singing!"

_Weren't you the one who tried to hurt with goodbye?_

_You think I'd crumble?_

_You think I'd lay down and die?_

_Oh no not I!_

_I will survive!_

Something suddenly hit my side, almost sending me to the floor.

"OW! FUCK!" I swore loudly, clutching my side painfully. I had the sudden image of that alien animation I saw on youtube when the disco ball fell on the singing alien after saying 'I will survive!' That sent shivers down my spine and I looked instinctively up at the ceiling, searching for a disco ball.

"Ah, I knew you'd jinx us! Run!" Shai grabbed my arm and we continued running once again. Instead of making it out of this hallway unscathed, multiple paintballs hit our backs and heads. These kids seemed to be equipped with both paintball guns _and _water guns. What else do these children have? I didn't want to think about it.

"We need to find Kaida!" I shouted desperately, trying hard not to fall on my face.

"I know that! The intercom is in the main office, but we passed that already!"

"Is it possible that she wasn't contacting us through the speaker in the main office?"

"No, I'm sure of it. The door was open just a bit. She obviously left as soon as she made the announcement," Shai replied between breaths.

When we turned a corner, I slammed into Matt. Why he was walking in the hallways when there was practically a war going on was beyond me.

I had knocked him over and landed on top of him. "Sorry, Matt!" I quickly scrambled off of him and put my hands together bowing a few times. "That's all my fault! I should've watched where I was going!"

"Masako, let's go!" At Shai's exclamation, I raced after her.

Turning my head, I shouted, "I'd help you up, but I'm in a hurry! Say hi to Mello for me!"

It took a while to get out of everyone's sights. Once we were finally alone, we took advantage of the time to catch our breath.

I inhaled sharply and Shai gave me a glare. "You will NOT start singing again!"

"I wasn't going to sing again…"

"What the hell was _that _back there? You jinxed us! You saw what happened to that alien in that youtube video."

I shuddered at the thought of that and glared at her. "Well, my bad! Don't make me leave you behind at the end of the day to clean up all this paint in the halls!" I snapped at her.

"But you said-"

"When I said 'we're in this together,' I meant _I'd _run away and _you'd _take the blame!"

"Well, that's not nice."

"No, really?"

"Really."

Hn. Smart ass. "This is insane."

"I know, right? What're we going to do?"

"What I want to know is how that first batch of preschoolers managed to find us in the first place. I mean they weren't even around the corner when we looked only a few seconds before…"

"You think maybe…?" Shai glanced at the ceiling behind her shoulder. At first, I was a little confused. Then I followed her gaze to the black half sphere attached to the ceiling. It was a camera; just like the ones we had at our school in America.

"We have no idea where they're viewing the cameras from, though."

"Good point…" Shai looked to the ground with defeat and her head snapped up in that instant, racing to the door beside us. I quickly put the pieces together and ran after her, shutting the door behind us. They were coming.

"Ok, now I'm absolutely _sure_ that they're viewing those cameras."

"Or maybe they're just getting lucky," Shai suggested with a shrug. "But I guess you're right; always expect the worst."

I nodded in agreement and peered out the window. "Hey Shai, I got an idea. We might not know where they're viewing the camera feeds, but we know where the announcer is."

"Announcer?"

"Yeah, you know, the intercom!"

Shai gave a small 'oh' and nodded for me to continue.

"But in order for this to work, we need to get my Ipod."

"You have a plan? Wait, your Ipod? You're kidding, Masako…"

"No, I'm not." I looked at her with the most amount of seriousness I could get into my eyes. "It's time to kick it up a notch. I left it in the backseat of Matt's car. Let's go."

As we walked out into the hall, we broke out into a run toward the entrance.

"You know, his car doors are probably locked."

"I'll find a way to get in there!" I shouted with a smile.

Shai's POV

I kept having to check behind me to make sure Masako was keeping up. She's just too damn slow!

"Masako, this better be worth all the running," I warned her.

I glanced behind me to find Masako trailing with determination. "Don't worry, it is!"

I got to Matt's car first. I grabbed the handle and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. Just as I had predicted. "I told you the doors were locked!"

My head turned to Masako who, I could just about kill right now, was _smiling_. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. _Smiling_.

"What the hell-" I stopped shouting when Masako pulled out some keys from her sleeve. "How did you-oooooohhh…."

"_Sorry, Matt! That's all my fault! I should've watched where I was going!"_

"Well aren't we the smart one? You picked his pockets!" _Not bad, Nagawa…._

Masako's smile grew wider when I stated this and threw me the keys. "Being a kleptomaniac has its advantages. Now open the door; we need to get that Ipod. Open the trunk, too."

I did as I was instructed and unlocked the back door, grabbing her Ipod and throwing it to her. She caught it eagerly and hugged it to her cheek gladly as if it was her long lost child.

_I wonder what would happen if I took that…_ I shook my head, pushing the thought to the back of my mind for later and locked the door. I went around the back and unlocked the trunk, eyeing the stuff that was in there. Masako skipped to where I was standing and shifted through her computer stuff (with Near in the Task Force she couldn't leave her laptop unattended), pulling out a cord which was supposed to connect an Ipod to a computer. She also pulled out a CD case and a very small backpack, throwing everything inside. I locked the trunk when she was finished and stuffed the keys into my pocket to give to Matt later.

"Ok, now where are we going?" I asked.

"To the main office!"

As we ran back to the school, keeping our eyes peeled for any ambushes, I looked over at Masako. "You know, I'm surprised at how much this preschool resembles a real school. I mean, usually preschools aren't exactly _schools_ much…know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess," she replied between breaths. "I mean, this looks more like a high school without the lockers. And you know American preschools; they don't teach you anything…it's usually just a playroom with abc's on the walls here and there. But this building is like a regular school…"

"That might be why the Japanese are so smart. They actually _teach _their kids."

I nodded. "Yeah…"

Once we made it into the building, the main office wasn't that far from the entrance. Actually, it was _right beside _the entrance, so we didn't have to go far. I expected Kaida to send kids to ambush us; it would've been the perfect opportunity to get us when we would first walk in. I _knew _she was viewing the cameras. I just knew it. So why didn't she strike?

Is it possible that she wants to see what Masako's plan was? Or is she stalling? Is she planning something _worse_ with the kids? I bet my money on the latter.

Masako skipped into the office without a care in the world. No one was here.

_Damn, where the hell is everybody? _I'm sure Masako was thinking the same thing. But in a way I guess it was a good thing now. Otherwise, they would've kicked us out of the room as soon as we entered.

Masako made her way to the intercom.

"What are you doing?"

"Shai, set up a trap by the door while I get things ready. Try not to be seen 'cause I don't know where everyone is."

I looked at the door disbelievingly. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Anything. Just be quick-we don't have a lot of time."

I nodded and took in my surroundings, trying to figure out what I could use. There were pens, pencils, rulers, papers, a few cushioned chairs, a small table, a computer on the desk (which Masako was using), a coffee machine, plastic cups…

_What am I supposed to use?_

Masako seemed happy-go-lucky and was typing away at the computer. What she was doing, I didn't know, and I really didn't care at this point. My thoughts were going through my mind rapidly, each coming and going at an alarming rate.

I darted to the cupboard and threw it open, looking for any objects that could be of use.

_What would Light do…?_ I smirked. _Light would have enough resources to come up with this genius plan, but I don't have anything. All I have is a bunch of preschooler stuff…_

Wait.

I glanced over at Masako. It then hit me.

_That's what she's doing..._

I grabbed the duct tape and as many pens and pencils as I could carry, making my way to the door. I knew exactly what trap to set up.

Masako's POV

It was perfect. Everything was almost finished at this point. Judging by the trap that Shai set up, she figured out what the goal was. She had also moved the coffee machine in front of the door. Her concentration was on all the wires inside the machine that she had just opened, reaching her hand in and pulling some wires here and taking scissors and clipping things there. What she was doing, I wasn't sure. All I could do was focus on my part. And to think this all only took us 6 and a half minutes.

It was a good thing that there weren't any cameras in the room. The only thing that threatened to expose us was the large window looking out over the hallway. If someone were to come by, though, we would automatically duck and hope they won't notice what was going on.

Since I wanted to keep my Ipod, I had to transfer some loud music onto the computer since our internet connection had been cut. I had to plug in my Ipod with the cord I grabbed from Matt's car into the computer and pop in the CD to download my music editing software.

There were tons of other software like it, but this one was the most convenient. I was basically the master of this program, and it didn't take long for me to grab a small section of a song, turn it extremely high pitched, and put it on repeat. I grabbed the intercom and put it on its side, right next to the speakers of the computer. I had also turned up the volume to the maximum on the computer and the announcer.

Now all I had to do was push play, and chaos would ensue. I glanced up from the computer screen to see that Shai had just finished hotwiring the coffee machine, to my surprise, and was staring straight at me, waiting for the signal.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" I asked as I eyed the coffee machine.

"My uncle taught me."

"How convenient…" I blinked and looked up at the trap she had set up. It wasn't a trap, really. It was more of a primary fortress. She had duct tape stuck from the top of the frame of the door to the floor. She had pens and pencils sticking out of the tape pointing outward toward the entrance and put more tape behind that for reinforcement. The door was closed, which meant that the tape was loose so the pens and pencils could fit. At least the door was wooden, and there was only one window. Otherwise, someone would see what she was doing and would've been busted already.

"What's the coffee machine supposed to do?" I asked curiously, getting a closer look at it.

"I hotwired it so that it'll keep pouring out coffee even when its one or two minutes are up. I took out the tube and put a ruler right up against the opening-" she pointed at the opening where the coffee was supposed to come out. "acting as a tee-"

"Then the coffee will spill out in all different directions," I finished with a smile. "Impressive."

"Thanks, I know."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed some chairs, laying them on their sides.

"What're you doing?"

"Creating more obstacles," I announced with a smile. "We need this place to be as hard to get through as possible."

Shai nodded in agreement. "Alright, so when do we start all of this?"

"Soon," I smiled slyly and made my way over to the computer. "Make as much noise as possible."

"Got it."

Shai's POV

I raced to the open cupboard and grabbed two walkie-talkies from the bottom shelf (no doubt they belonged to the janitors), throwing one in Masako's direction.

I turned it on, as well as Masako. Once we tested them out and made sure they worked, Masako put her belongings in her backpack and threw it over her shoulder, nodding towards me.

Looking through the cupboard again, I grabbed a janitor's belt and took off some of the items I didn't need, keeping a few things on that might come in handy. I put on the belt and clipped on the walkie-talkie, walking over to the coffee machine and setting the timer for two minutes.

"You ready?" I asked Masako. She had just finished arming herself with a metal tape measurer. And…nope that's it.

"Is that all you're going to take?"

"This is pretty much all I'm going to need. I mean, you're the one that's probably gonna run into the most preschoolers anyway, so I don't need much."

I nodded in agreement and reached out to push the button.

"Cover your ears," she instructed. "Ready…set…GO!" At Masako's signal, I pushed the start button on the coffee machine and raced to the window, throwing it open. Masako had quickly taped the button down on the intercom and pushed play on the computer, wincing as the noise flooded the speakers from the ceiling. I got to the window first since all I had to do was push one button, so naturally I was the one to jump out first.

"_Make as much noise as possible." _I remembered her saying. I rushed to the other side of the building, throwing the door open and the noise flooded my ears once again. My eyes spotted a fire alarm. _Just what I was looking for. _I raced over to it and pulled the handle, more noise beating into my poor eardrums.

All I could do now was run and help Masako find Kaida. We didn't have a lot of time left.

Masako's POV

Despite the fact that most of my two hours were spent running from preschoolers, I still had a great deal of energy. It was probably from the adrenaline.

Ok so I've officially checked every room in the building. There wasn't a basement.

_Is it possible that maybe they're not on school property?_

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I kept running. I group of preschoolers started chasing me about a minute ago, another group joining them. The fire alarm suddenly stopped. I then sighed. _That means they found the alarm and turned it off…_

Then the alarm went off again as I smirked. _Good job, Tamaki._

I grabbed the tape measurer and started pulling the plastic-metal like ruler out of its container, my thoughts actively running around in my brain.

That was my goal all along. The preschoolers were the ones that were in the way. All I had to do was create noise from unknown directions, causing massive confusion throughout the facility. Once the kids were distracted, I could find Kaida and continue on my way instead of running in the opposite direction. When they finally stop the noise, another noise would start up again. Thanks to Shai, the fire alarm would keep going off as long as she wasn't caught. There was nothing Kaida could do at this point except instruct the preschoolers to stand their ground, which wouldn't be the wisest decision. I mean, this stuff was _loud _and completely unbearable. The fire alarm wasn't completely unbearable, but at least it kept everyone busy. It was the intercom that hurt the most. I didn't want to put in my headphones because 1) Shai would never let me forget how she suffered and I had relief throughout the entire thing and 2) I wouldn't be able to hear Shai's voice through the walkie-talkie if she found Kaida.

Once I pulled a good distance from the measurer, trying desperately not to trip on it, I locked it in place and slowed down a bit, turning around and letting my arm stretch the ruler to the floor. When a boy stepped on it, I pulled the ruler out from under him and he crashed into the other children behind him. There were still a few others that I needed to get rid of, but I got rid of about 5 of the 10 so that was good.

_Are you constantly moving or are you just not here? Damn it, Kaida! WHERE ARE YOU?_

Kaida's POV

I sat back and watched the scene unfold before my eyes on the camera feeds and kept glancing at the blueprints spread out around me, nibbling on my chocolate bar nervously. This wasn't looking too good for me. Masako had already checked all the rooms, and it wouldn't be long before she found out where I really was. I sighed and shook my head. Mello was leaning against a wall not far from me, watching the scene with interest and having his chocolate at hand as well. Matt stood loyally beside him, DS away for once, and watching the screens. His face didn't display emotion, and even though his orange goggles were shielding his eyes, I could tell that they were glowing with interest. Mello made no attempt to hide his eager expression.

I heard footsteps to my right which snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned my head to face a small brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, maybe about 8 years old.

The girl straightened up and saluted me. "Amaya-sama! Reporting from the west wing, Team 4."

I nodded for her to continue.

"Tamaki has somehow led to the separation of Team 4 and Teams 1 and 3 have been injured and are currently being taken out by Nagawa." Ok. Nothing I haven't seen from the camera feeds, but it was nice to have someone coming from the action to clear things up for me.

I thought really hard on this with my eyes still on the girl. "Team 5 is still trying to get through their traps in the main office, and judging by the sound that I'm hearing, they didn't get in yet. That leaves Team 2…" I muttered to myself.

"What are your instructions, ma'am?" I furrowed my eyebrows in thought. 30 kids were a lot of kids, but perhaps it wasn't enough. I had to give those two credit on this one.

"I want you to find your team and bring them together. While you're doing that, locate Team 2 and make sure they keep Shai busy with the fire alarms. You're team will then hunt down Nagawa and lead her away from here."

I saw the look of surprise on her face. "Just do it," I commanded her forcefully.

"Yes, ma'am!" The girl nodded vigorously and raced toward the way she had come.

I mentally nodded at my own statement. _Hopefully these kids will keep them busy long enough…_

I smirked and snapped my chocolate. _Time's almost up…_

Masako's POV

After a few minutes, I had finally taken out the kids. Well, not taken out, but they were injured with scrapes and bruises. It was enough to get them to stop chasing after me, anyway.

A sudden thought struck me. _Wait…they're not in the school…they're outside of it!_ I scolded myself for being so stupid and grabbed my walkie-talkie.

Shai's POV

I had never been so tired in my life. Running around a school was not my expertise. I wasn't physically fit, so this was really hard for me. I'm running off of just adrenaline, now. Basically, for fear of being captured.

I looked at the clock in the hallway while I was passing. A haunting voice entered my mind. _Five minutes… _

My walkie-talkie started producing static and I instinctively grabbed it. "Shai, do you read me?"

"Yeah, I'm here. What'd you find?" It was hard to hear over all of the noise, but I could slightly make out what she was saying. Fortunately, Masako was smart enough to use as little words as possible.

"The roof!"

"On my way!" I shouted back into the speaker. I clipped my walkie-talkie to my belt and raced to the door with the ladder on my side of the building. I didn't run into any children on the way, so I was in the clear.

The high pitched noise of the intercom suddenly came to a stop. I felt a wave of instant relief when I felt a weight being lifted off of my eardrums, but wariness rushed through me again. More kids were coming. In order to dodge the new groups of preschoolers that were headed my way, I had to set up a few fake trails with the items on my belt; throwing them in random directions and making noises sound from multiple different hallways. This was time consuming, but they fell for it.

I had finally reached the door and pushed it open, heading toward the ladder.

Masako's POV

Another group of kids ambushed me on the way to the ladder on my side of the school. I knew for sure that Kaida was on the roof, now. They were trying to lead me away from the door. I wasn't falling for it. I used the tape measurer once again, finally making it to the door. _Almost there!_

Kaida's POV

I smirked with satisfaction as I glanced at the time on a computer, preparing to count down.

"Five..."

"Four…" Mello joined in.

"Three…" Matt eagerly looked at the computer screen.

"Two…" I looked at the camera feeds again.

"FOUND YOU!" My eyes widened as I recognized the two voices. I turned my head first to the left, then to the right. On my left was Shai, and on my right was Masako.

Both were covered in paint and sweat, their clothes soaked in water. Masako's hair was knotted in a few places and Shai's was ruffled. Masako had a tape measurer and the ruler was locked at a foot; her walkie-talkie clipped onto the strap of her small backpack. Shai had on a janitor's belt, which was kind of lopsided after running all the while, and had multiple objects strapped to it, including her walkie-talkie. Masako had a creepy, awkward smile on her face and was slouching with exhaustion and Shai had an evil-like, triumphant smile, standing tall and her chin held high.

Their expressions and stances were similar to that of Light and L's. And for a split second, I was shocked. These two fight constantly, but when they work together, they make one hell of a team. Just like Light and L.

I stood from my spot on the roof. There were two computers and many wires spread everywhere, courtesy of Matt who went to grab them during the battle. I laughed with amusement when he came back complaining about a headache.

"Congratulations. You've succeeded," I said unbelievingly. "With about two seconds to spare, of course," I added with a knowing smile.

"Ah, but we did it!" Shai said, slowly trying to catch her breath.

"We win!" Masako leaped with glee, but I stopped her.

"No, _I _win."

"But we-"

"You may have succeeded in completing the task, but I still win."

"And in what way do you win?" Masako asked with frustration.

"You guys put forth _effort_. And I got to watch. Therefore, I win. In some twisted way, I _always _win!" I declared with pride. Masako scowled. Shai put her hand in her pocket and took out Matt's keys, throwing them to him. He caught them with ease and turned to glare at Masako.

"Eep! I'm so sorry, Matt! I didn't mean to! It was a spur of the moment thing, ok? I'll make it up to you!" Shai and I laughed while Mello smirked with amusement. Poor Masako. Matt definitely wasn't going to let her live this down.

Task Force HQ

L rubbed his toes together as he scanned the monitors one last time before turning to Near, who was sitting right next to him.

"What do you make of that, Near?" he asked, curiosity lacing his words as he eyed the albino.

Near gave an awkward smile, never taking his eyes off of the monitors. "Interesting…and impressive. I am glad they are working with us," he replied, using as little words in his explanation as possible.

L nodded and turned to the computer screen. "Told you so," he mumbled in his monotone; his odd humor kicking in.

Near nodded, the smile never leaving his face. "I know."

**Yes! Haha it's true: Shai really **_**can **_**hotwire a coffee machine… XD Stayed up until 1:30 in the morning working on this! I'm still feeling happy about it. Sorry if it was too long for you guys; I know some fanfiction readers worship those who give long chapters, while others are annoyed. I just couldn't split this chapter up; it was just too good! :D **

**Usually I don't care whether you review or not, but this time I want to know your thoughts. Whether you have a fanfiction account or not, let me know what you think of this chapter!**

**So for the first time in ages I'm going to say:**

**R&R! X)**


	22. Secrets, Fire, Next Move!

**Me: *sigh* Jeez, feels like I haven't updated in a while. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. A few insignificant stuff happens, but they'll be important later on, trust me. :)**

**Kaida: So you say**

**Ketsueki: Am I actually in this one?**

**Me: You're not in this chapter a lot, but you're here**

**Ketsueki: All riiiiiight!**

**Me: I own nothing but my OCs**

**Kaida: Excuse you?**

**Me: I own nothing but Ketsueki…**

**Ketsueki: Hey!**

**Me: Well, what the hell am I supposed to say?**

**Near: Masako doesn't own Death Note.**

**Kaida: Show off…**

**Me: Thank you, Near. ^-^**

No wonder we were fired. The school was an absolute _mess_. Posters along the walls were torn, paint covered everything you looked at, and I assure you that the janitors weren't too happy when they found their tools scattered throughout the school.

I was quite proud of the tape measurer I had used during the battle and decided to borrow it permanently from the school. Faculty wouldn't mind. Fortunately for me, Matt finally let the car keys thing slide and I didn't have to walk home like I thought.

Yep. I was covered in bruises, sweat, water, paint, and a few scratches here and there. I had a major headache.

"Hey Shai, you ok?" I asked said person. She didn't want to sit shotgun and refused to put her seatbelt on; something about not feeling good. Currently, Shai was sitting next to me and her eyes were kind of spacey. It took her awhile to respond to my question and at first I didn't think she heard me. Then she seemed to snap out of it and turned her head to me slowly.

"Not really…" she replied. "My head hurts…"

"Headache?"

"Yeah…"

I'll admit it: I wasn't feeling too good myself. We had been inhaling paint fumes all day, our energy exceeded our limits only an hour into the job, and we were forced to use brainpower along with that.

"Did you feel this bad when you were on the roof?"

"No…" Now that I get a good look at her, she seemed disoriented and confused.

I just shrugged and looked down at my lap. I didn't want to listen to my Ipod and looking out the window made me sick.

And that's bad because I _never _get sick, which means that since Shai and I went through the same thing, she's about three times as worse as me because her immune system is terrible. She _always _gets sick. Every time she goes outside, she comes back with some form of sickness or disease.

"Ryuzaki, where are Masako, Shai, and Kaida?" Matsuda asked. The Task Force had arrived at headquarters only ten minutes before, and L had quickly explained to them that his top three successors were going to work with them on the case.

"At work, but they will arrive shortly," he replied simply. L then turned to Near. "Oh, by the way, Near; Masako tends to be very observant, so try to forget about…the recent events that have taken place. For now, anyway," L said in a hushed tone so that the others wouldn't hear him.

Near stopped twirling his hair and looked down from the monitors, his gaze resting on L. He seemed unsure at first, but then he nodded and turned back to his computer screen.

I yawned and scratched my head, shivering when I felt the slimy, half-dry paint stuck to my hair. We had finally parked the car. I say 'finally' because Matt had to get through security which actually didn't take that long, but that's still ten seconds benefiting only the paint in my hair to dry.

After about ten minutes of getting through the security in the building, we finally made it into the main room. I shivered when the automatic doors slid open. It seemed cooler in there than the rest of the building, which was very uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, I love the cold. But I was soaking wet; do the math.

Some of the Task Force members were on the computers on the left side of the room typing away and some were just hanging around and trying to figure out what to do. I never really knew what they were doing at the computers when they had no leads. I made a mental note to ask them later.

Near, L, and Light were sitting at the computers across from us, but still a ways away. Matsuda was the first to notice someone come in, and when his eyes fell on the five of us, he gasped. Everyone in the room turned to face us. There were numerous gasps around the room and voices erupted in the air.

"Shai! Masako! What happened?" -Matsuda

"You're both covered in paint!" -Soichiro

"Kaida, what did you do?" -Aizawa

"What makes you think _I_ did something?" -Kaida

"You guys don't look too good…" -Light

I put up my hands. "Guys, guys, calm down already. We're fine. I think…" I glanced over at Shai who was shivering slightly.

"What happened?" Matsuda repeated curiously.

I threw my hand behind my head and laughed nervously. "Preschool troubles…"

"We didn't fall for that before, and we're definitely not going to fall for it now-so tell the truth!" Aizawa huffed; his eyebrows furrowed and his hands were clenched in fists.

"I keep telling you; it's the _preschoolers_! They're EVIL!"

"They're kids, Masako," Soichiro stated with seriousness.

"Yes, I'm aware of that!"

"Everyone please calm down," L ordered, his voice slightly raised so he could be heard.

"_You_ believe me, don't you Ryuzaki?"

"We'll discuss your preschool issues at a later time. Right now, both of you should clean up and recover."

I nodded and obeyed, gently taking Shai's arm and pulling her to the elevator. She seemed to be more alert and slightly better, but only by a little bit.

Once we were out of the main room, up the elevator, and into her room, I dashed in front of her and turned to face her; staring at her hard. "Ok, what the hell is up with you?"

Shai blinked slowly before responding. "I just don't feel well, that's all,"

"Are you sure it's not _more _than that?"

"I'll sleep on it. Why are you on my floor, anyway?"

I thought for a moment. _Good point…_ "Uuuuuhhh….uhuuummm….mmm…mm_mm_mm…Gah! I don't know!" I threw my arms up in exasperation and stomped over to the door. I really had no idea why I was there. I guess I was just so used to following her around because I had been ordered by L to always stay close in case she had anything to do with Kira.

I spun around on my heel and outstretched my arm, pointing dramatically in her direction. "Take a shower and get to sleep! I betcha you'll feel better in the morning!" It came out as more of an order than a suggestion.

Shai narrowed her eyes. "Get out, Masako."

I yelped and sweat dropped, inching away from her evil gaze and the practically visible, hateful waves she was giving off.

"Now."

I gave her a frightened look and quickly bowed, fleeing to the elevator and heading to my own floor.

"I'm _baaaaaaaaack_!" I sang as I skipped into the main room, twirling a few times before making my way to stand between L and Near. I had only gone to my floor to take a shower. All of my exhaustion seemed to disappear and I was in a happy mood. L was currently staring at the computer screen in front of him, shoveling down some cake and Near was…just there. Misa's figure clearly showed on the large monitors on the wall. The airhead model was doing her makeup, which wasn't surprising.

"Ew," Kaida commented. I stuck my tongue out at her and peered over Near's shoulder.

"Whatcha doin?" I inquired.

"Looking through files," he replied simply. I shrugged and peered over L's shoulder.

"Whatcha doin?" I asked again.

"Looking through files," L echoed with his mouth full. He swallowed and turned to look up at me. "Where's Shai?"

"Sleeping."

L nodded and turned back to his screen. Now I was bored beyond belief. "Anything I can do?"

L hesitated for a moment before replying. "Not yet."

I huffed. I thought that I was actually going to _work _with the Task Force. I then remembered that I had thrown on my backpack when I left my floor, so I grabbed my laptop out of my bag and sat on the other side of Near.

Browsing the web didn't really cure my boredom. It never really had. And since we're working on the Kira case, it's going to be hard to find public information that we don't already know. I gave up with the computer and merely closed it shut, standing up and stretching. Surprisingly, it's only been five minutes since I sat down.

"I'm off to make some cake. Any suggestions?"

"Vanilla!"

"Chocolate!"

"Strawberries, please."

"Can you put some cookies in it, too?" I thought Kaida's question over quickly and carefully before responding.

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"Wait! Instead of putting cookies in, put double fudge brownies on top!"

I sighed. "Fine," I glanced at Near. I was sure that he didn't want any cake. But it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Hey, Near." The boy lifted his head and turned to face me. "Want some cake?"

"No thank you."

"Alright, more for us!" Kaida exclaimed joyfully.

"What about you, Matt?" He was sitting beside Mello, opposite of the couch Kaida was on.

Matt kept his eyes glued to his DS as he answered. "Sure." I didn't bother asking Mello; I already knew he'd be eager for anything with chocolate.

I nodded. None of the police officers ever wanted any cake besides Matsuda. Otherwise, I probably would've had to add some more stuff to it.

I turned to Near, curious. That look…something wasn't right. There was something in his eyes…something he was hiding from me. It was the same in L's eyes, too, but it was more hidden. My eye twitched with annoyance when I drew a blank.

"What's with the look?" I asked Near, irritation slowly creeping in my voice.

"What look?"

"That look!"

"I don't understand."

"Ugh, that _look_!" I shouted as if the word cleared things up.

"Masako, you're not making any sense," L had finished his cake and his hands were now on his knees. His eyes were settled on me.

I thought for a moment, trying to form my thoughts into words.

"Ok," I brought my right fist up and hit the palm of my left, an explanation coming to mind. "That look…contains a lie!" I closed my eyes and put my hands on my hips, nodding confidently at my own statement.

Near and L just looked at me blankly.

"Go on," L said.

"Well, maybe not a lie, but something that you're not telling me. It's something that you know and I don't. It's in _your _eyes too, Ryuzaki. You've obviously discussed something with Near while I was gone at the preschool, and it's something that you'd rather not share with me. Right?" I hesitated for a moment. Maybe I was going a little over the top with this.

My doubts were crushed as quickly as they came when L spoke. "Correct," This caught me off guard. I could've sworn I was just being over analytical again.

"So…can you tell me?" I asked sweetly.

"No." Such a blunt way to put it. Thanks for getting my hopes up and crushing them, L…

"Why not?"

"You said so yourself: 'it's something that you'd rather not share with me,'" L quoted in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Aw, but I want to know!" I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted. When I got no reply, I huffed and stomped off into the kitchen. "Great, now it'll bug me forever."

So, I got to work. Baking a cake was the only work I ever did. It was kind of pathetic if you ask me, but at least it kept everyone happy. I sighed at this thought and began humming to my music for comfort, as I have always done.

Shai's POV

I growled with frustration as I tossed and turned in my bed. No position seemed to be comfortable. I was still feeling slightly ill, but that wasn't the problem. No, there was something much more important to worry about.

It was eating me away…I could feel it. I had no idea what to do. I figured if I went to sleep, I would feel better in the morning, but I couldn't get to sleep.

Giving up, I flipped onto my back and stared at my ceiling. This position was terribly uncomfortable, but I told myself to just deal with it. I was exhausted, and it wouldn't be long before sleep washed over me. I then let my eyes close, waiting for my fate to come.

Masako's POV

"Okie dokie, now I just have to make the cake!" I told myself joyfully. The brownies were easy to make and the strawberries were out and ready along with some whipped topping.

In no time, all of the ingredients were in a bowl and were thoroughly mixed. I then stopped abruptly and looked down at the batter. "Aw, man! I forgot the eggs! Stupid…" I turned sharply on my heel and stepped forward in one swift movement.

Let's just say that didn't go very well.

"JESUS CHRIST!" I screamed as I felt my body collide with something that I was sure hadn't been there before. It appeared that Mello had been standing right behind me when I was making the cake, and I crashed into him. He seemed unfazed, but I on the other hand, fell on the floor and the batter spilled all over my head.

My eye twitched with annoyance as I raised my head to Mello with a glare. I tried to remain calm and I breathed deeply. "_Can_…_I_…_help_…_you_?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

"U-Uh…Sorry, Masako…" Mello held out a gloved hand at which I glared at.

"I don't need your help," I snapped as I stood from the floor. I grabbed the bowl and set it on the counter.

"Yeah…I guess I'll leave then," Mello said with uncertainty as he made his way to the door.

"Hey, hey, hey, now! Hold on!" The chocoholic stopped in his tracks and turned to face me. "I need to go get cleaned up, and this cake isn't gonna bake itself."

Mello's eyes widened as he took a step back. "Wait, you want me to-"

I smiled evilly and he shook his head, stepping back again. "Oh, yes. Now come on." I grabbed his arm and pulled him roughly to the oven, pointing at random ingredients and giving him directions on what to do.

When I was finished, I handed him the bowl. "Ok, get to work!" I smiled happily at him as I skipped out of the kitchen, heading to my floor to take yet _another _shower. Mello's mouth hung open slightly and looked at the bowl in his hands, then at the oven. He scratched the back of his head, completely clueless as to what to do.

I entered the main room I and got a few strange looks from all the batter in my hair and on my face. When I got to the door, I waved my hand at them without looking back. "Don't ask."

Throwing on some new clothes with ease, I walked out of the bathroom, hunched and feeling lazy. That's what happens after I take a shower. My mood is unpredictable after that and I'm still not sure why.

I walked over to my freezer and grabbed my water bottle from the inside. I remember putting it in there before I went down to make the cake, and it was half frozen. Just the way I liked it.

I emptied all water from the bottle and crushed the ice inside. As random as this sounds, crushed ice was my favorite snack. It was right up there with cake. I was constantly munching on crushed ice once I had filled up on cake. I guess that's why my immune system was so high and I never got sick.

Taking a cup in one hand, I emptied the ice into it. I kept forgetting to put water in the ice cube trays to freeze, so I figured I might as well do that while I'm there. All the while, my mind was in overdrive.

_So what's going to happen next? Light wasn't in confinement. What's he going to do with the Death Note, now? He can't give it off to Ryuk, could he? I mean, what would the point of that be? He wasn't in confinement, so it would prove nothing. Or is it possible that he's already lost his memories and given up the Death Note until a later date? It's possible…he may have decided that having the successors around was a little too dangerous. Maybe he passed it off to Ryuk and gave him a date to give it back. No, Ryuk wouldn't cooperate like that. Damn, I need Ketsueki to check that out. I know! I can bribe him with cherries! _

I raced to the refrigerator and opened the door. Irritation flickered across my face as I looked at the place where cherries used to be.

_Damn shinigami…he stole the cherries! I'm going to have to go get more, and that means that Shai is going to have to come with me, and L already told us that we couldn't go out without a Task Force member because of that whole scissors incident…I guess he really is keeping his word on that. Anyway…back to Light…_

_Light will obviously pass it to someone else, if he didn't make that move yet. I don't notice a change in his personality, so he couldn't have gotten rid of it, yet. Which means he's still killing criminals…I need to ask L for those files. He must be keeping a record of them somewhere…No, he's a genius. If there was a pattern in the killings, he would've said something already, right? This is L we're talking about…You can never be too sure with him. _

I was now sitting on my couch, tipping my cup of ice to its sides.

_Back and forth…forth and back…Light and L...Me and Shai…Mello and Near…This is nothing but a war with many battles. Whoever is victorious will face the next soldier, until all is dead but one…otherwise, there will be some teaming up along the way. I wonder when L is going to put those handcuffs on Light…Then you have Misa…Misa…I haven't seen her in a while. I should go see what she's up to. _

I rose up off the couch and headed to the elevator, cup of ice in hand.

When the elevator opened, Misa was found sitting on a couch doing her toenails. She perked up when she noticed me and waved wildly with a huge smile on her face.

"Masako! I'm so glad you're here! We haven't talked in like, forever!"

I laughed. "Hey, Misa. How's it going?"

Misa's face fell and she turned back to her toenails. "Not too good."

"Oh?" I reluctantly walked over to sit next to her. I had a feeling she was going to spill her heart out to me at any moment.

When I sat down, Misa turned to me with sad eyes. "This floor is great and all, but I…"

"Yooooooou don't want to be here," I finished for her.

"Actually…I…um…" Misa's face turned red and she fidgeted a bit.

Wait a minute. Misa never blushed. She was obviously thinking about Light, of whom she (surprisingly) didn't confess her love to, yet. But that's the thing…if Misa had a crush on someone, she would just tell them. I mean, she did that in the series.

_What the hell is going on, here? She's a completely different person, now! Well, she _is _older than in the anime, but she still acted the same way after the time skip, so age isn't the problem. I wonder if it's because she didn't find out that he was Kira…that seemed to give her confidence in the anime…so why is she so shy? _

"You have a crush," I said bluntly.

Misa had a panicked look on her face and covered my mouth with both of her hands. "Ssshhh! They'll hear you!"

I removed her hands from my mouth. _That's right…they're watching us right now. _"Ok, so who is it?"

Misa looked to the floor. Her toenails were finished and they showed a bright pink color. "I can't tell you here…"

I sighed and nodded. "Understood…Why are you so shy, anyway? I figured you'd be the exact opposite."

Misa shook her head. "I thought I was…but…I don't know…" her voice trailed off into the distance and she played with her fingers nervously.

Yes, that had to be it. She was more confident before when she knew that Light was Kira. But even so, that shouldn't affect her personality, right?

_But before, she had already confessed her love _before _she lost her memories…She didn't meet Light until _after _her memories were erased. In the anime, she had already confessed her love because it seemed to be the only opportunity for her so she could convince Light that she was completely devoted to him. But now…_

It took me only a few seconds to understand what was going on with her. She _had _to confess her love before. When Light accepted, she was happy and confident. She was also confident at the fact that he was both a perfect student _and _Kira. Kira was like a bonus for her, so of course she would be excited. But she doesn't _know _that he's Kira, now.

_Either way, Misa is shy towards Light. The last thing I want to do now is encourage her to confess to Light because Light would just say the same thing as in the anime, meaning Misa and Light would work together. The Task Force is sure that Misa is the Second Kira because all evidence points to her. She was informed of this, of course. That means that L would try to keep them away from each other as much as possible. Since Light didn't lose his memories yet, he'll be trying to get close to Misa. Or maybe he wouldn't because either 1) she's an airhead and he would rather accomplish his goal on his own or 2) he knows that L would be expecting that, and trying to get close to Misa would only raise suspicion. _

_It is possible that he just wants to kill Misa off, but he can't do that anytime soon. Again, he would look too suspicious. So what's his next move? Get rid of the Death Note and catch the next Kira, getting his memories back like in the real story? There would be no point to that…because HE WASN'T IN CONFINEMENT! And even if he did get rid of the Death Note, where would it go? Would it be someone in Yotsuba? No, Light didn't talk to Rem. So who did she decide to give it to? Did she even give it to anybody or did she keep it?_

_All I know is that Light would be trying to throw suspicion off of himself at this point in time. In order to do that, he would have to get rid of his memories, but he would need to set it up so that it's given to someone else and he ends up touching it, regaining his memories when they catch the next Kira. He can't give it to Ryuk and say: give this to me –insert date here.- There's just no other way he can do it, right?_

I mentally slapped myself. I had already thought about this stuff on my floor. Now's not the time to be thinking about it.

"Masako!" I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to Misa. She had a frustrated look on her face along with a pout.

"Oh, sorry Misa. I guess I spaced out again," I laughed nervously and pulled up my knees to my chest, shuffling out of my usual position and into a crouch. I felt really slow today. My thoughts were echoing and repeating themselves. After today, I was sure that I would never get these thoughts out of my mind. "What were you saying?"

Misa eyed my position and giggled.

"What?" I asked her.

"You sit like Ryuzaki!"

I raised my eyebrow. "That's what you were telling me?"

She stopped laughing and shook her head wildly. "No! I was asking you if _you_ had a crush on anyone," a catlike grin slid across her features as her face got closer, apparently sure that I had one and that I would whisper it in her ear.

"No, I don't have a crush," I replied simply.

"Oh, come on! There's gotta be _someone _you like!"

I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head. "Maybe as friends, but not as possible soul mates. Sorry."

Misa huffed. "You have a crush. You just won't tell me!" She stuck her tongue out at me.

"I do not…" I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I guess that makes sense…you're fifteen and everyone else is like, ten times older than you!"

I thought this statement over. Did that last part even make sense?

_Hey, she didn't meet the three successors yet, did she? _I mentally shook my head. _Apparently not, otherwise, she would be playing matchmaker with me, Shai, Kaida, and the Wammy boys. Once she sees the similarities…it's going to go all downhill from there…_

"I think I'm gonna go now…" I stood up and stretched.

"Wait, I want to come with you!" She jumped off the couch and gave me a pleading look. I looked uncertainly at her. What do I say? Did L want her to find out about his successors?

I opened my mouth on instinct, but closed it again. It wasn't my decision to make. I looked up at a random corner of the room, looking at one of the cameras with a look that I hope L took as a 'what do I say' look.

My mind relaxed when I heard L's voice through some speakers throughout the room. "Masako, I give you permission to guide Miss Amane to the main room. I have to inform her of our new guests, anyway."

I nodded and turned to Misa. "Alright then, you heard Panda Man. Let's go," I held out a hand, which she didn't notice. I only blinked, and before I realized what was happening, she was already on the other side of the room locating her socks, shoes, and whatever accessories she wanted to throw on.

My hand fell to my side as I sighed. This might take a while.

Kaida's POV

"Are you sure I'm doing this right?" Mello asked me. So far, everything was mixed, but I wasn't really sure how to make a cake. I mean, if I had a list of what to put in I can take it from there. But I wasn't all too sure of how Masako made her cakes.

"Uh…Hey, don't ask me-she didn't leave any instructions. Let me taste it," I dipped my finger into the bowl and scooped out some batter, cautiously putting it in my mouth. My head snapped up to Mello with bright, wide eyes. "Awesome! Did you put in all this other stuff?"

Mello nodded. "I think I did everything right."

"Cool. Now just spread it out on this and we'll put it in the oven." I motioned toward a glasslike pan which was already covered in butter (so the cake wouldn't stick, of course).

"Right…" After a while, Mello finally had it in the oven.

"Wow, Mello. Never saw you as the cooking type," I chuckled.

"Shut up! If I don't do this, Masako will kill me! Besides, it's the least I could do after…" Mello didn't finish his sentence and I smiled mischievously.

"That's what you _geeeeeeeet_," I sang. I could see that my taunting was pricking his nerves.

"You told me she would give me some chocolate!"

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," I stated proudly. I knew Mello couldn't resist chocolate, considering the fact that I stole all of his bars and he had no more.

Masako's POV

I skipped into the room with Misa trailing behind me. "Hello, one and all! I'm back!" I declared cheerfully.

"Hey, Masako!" Matsuda shouted with as much enthusiasm as I did. He then noticed the person who was following me. "Oh, Misa-Misa!" Matsuda waved clumsily with a stupid smile on his face. I mentally shook my head at him. You know, sometimes I worry about that guy.

I looked around the room. Matt, Mello, and Kaida were no where to be seen. "Alright, well while you're explaining things to Misa, I'm gonna go check on Mello and that cake." Nobody seemed to hear me, but I didn't care since I was already skipping to the door.

I stopped in my tracks and eyed the door suspiciously. "Hm…that's odd."

Soichiro glanced up from his work, slightly curious. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know-" An alarm suddenly went off in the kitchen and my eyes widened. My hand flew to the doorknob, which was surprisingly hot, and swung the door open. A huge puff of smoke barreled passed me.

When my eyes had stopped stinging from the smoke, they widened at the scene before me and I let out a yelp.

Mello was freaking out to my left, using whatever he could to put out the fire on the stove. Kaida was just standing several feet away laughing her ass off. Mello kept yelling for a fire extinguisher, and Matt was looking around the room, apparently clueless as to where it was.

I finally snapped out of it and raced to Matt, who was the closest to me. "Matt, give me your goggles!"

Matt quickly obliged and took them off, throwing them in my direction. I shielded my eyes and surveyed the room, now able to see. Of course, everything had a tint of orange in it, but I ignored it and raced to the other side of the room. I couldn't remember exactly where it was, but it was somewhere around here…

"MATT! WHERE'S THAT FIRE EXTIGUISHER?" Mello screamed.

A moment later I appeared at his side, smothering the fire with the extinguisher. Once it was out, a moment of silence enveloped the room, besides the fire alarm. Aizawa and Mogi were in the doorway, taking in the scene. I was sure that Soichiro and Matsuda were standing a few feet behind them, waiting for a report.

I threw the fire extinguisher at the alarm with frustration, causing it to cease its alarming. I whipped around to Mello. "What the hell, man! Didn't you listen to the directions I gave you? You're a genius and YOU CAN'T EVEN WORK A STOVE!"

Mello gave me an indignant look. "Maybe next time you should write it down for me! You were talking so fast I could barely understand you!"

"Well maybe next time you'd think twice about throwing batter in my face so you wouldn't have to cook!"

"It was an accident!"

"Excuses, excuses, excuses!"

"Kaida said you'd let me lick the spoon!"

"KAIDA!" I half growled, half yelled. I looked behind me, but was surprised when she was no where in sight.

Aizawa let out a yell of frustration. "That's enough! You _all _are going to stay here until this mess is cleaned up, understood?" he bellowed.

I nodded sadly, Matt's goggles now on my forehead instead of my eyes. There wasn't as much smoke in the kitchen as there was before, but there was still a great deal of it.

Once the Task Force had gone back to their usual stations, Mello, Matt and I were left to do as Aizawa instructed. I had thrown the goggles back to Matt and muttered a thanks before walking off to get supplies. Cleaning isn't very fun, if you ask me.

For the first half of the cleaning session, I was mumbling curses and insults. "Seventeen…eighteen…and still can't cook…" I muttered to myself. I was sure that Mello heard me, but he didn't say anything. I guess he was just too tired to fight again. The exhaustion of the preschool incident seemed to hit me again. I blinked slowly and I had a hard time keeping awake. For the second half of the cleaning session I was singing, which seemed to wake me up a little bit, but I was still exhausted by the time I was finished.

Lesson of the day: Never let Mello use a stove.

Kaida's POV

"What did ya think of that?" I asked.

"Interesting," a laugh split the air and I took three cherries that were held together by the stems out of my pocket, throwing them up in the air. Here's the thing about gravity: if you hang out with the right death gods, whatever goes up usually doesn't come back down.

After a little while, the voice spoke again. "If you think today was interesting, just wait until tomorrow…"

I looked up and eyed the shinigami suspiciously. "Why, what's gonna happen tomorrow?"

Ketsueki chuckled darkly. "You'll see…"

**Me: DuhduhduhDUH!**

**Kaida: Haha…cliffy… **

**Me: Yep! :)**

**Mello: *points at me accusingly* EVIL! :(**

**Me: I know! ^-^ **

**L: Masako, I think you should work on the next chapter now. You don't want to keep your readers waiting like you did with this chapter… **

**Me: I did **_**not **_**keep them waiting! -**

**Shai: Yes you did! :(**

**Me: No I didn't! :P**

**Matsuda: *waves hand excitedly* See you in the next chapter, guys! :D**

**Matt: *holds up hand in attempts to wave; decides to be lazy and puts it down***


	23. The Third Kira

**Hey all you wonderful people! :D THANK YOU to all of the AWESOME reviews I got from the last few chapters! They so made my days and made me want to write more! KYA! Just thought I'd get that out there. :3 **

**Yes! There is actually STORY PROGRESSION in this chapter! WOOHOO! Enjoy the chapter, and **_**pay attention**_** in this one. There's huge and obvious foreshadowing in this (I think…). Or, you can not even bother yourself with it and just go with the flow like Kaida does and wait till future chapters. Either way, have fun with that. :)**

**Me: Don't own nothing but Ketsueki**

**Ketsueki: You don't **_**own **_**me! **

**Me: and that certainly includes not owning Death Note**

**Ketsueki: Hello?**

**Me: I'd like to say I own my OCs,**

**Ketsueki: Are you even listening to me?**

**Me: but they're technically people, so I can't own them.**

**Ketsueki: HELLO?**

**Me: Hm? Oh hey, Ketsueki. How's it goin?**

**Ketsueki: *thinking* Must…resist…urge…to…kill…**

* * *

June 9, 2010

I woke up the next morning feeling terribly lazy. I tried going back to sleep, but I just couldn't. It was one of those weird days where my mind was asleep and my body was awake. And no, I don't mean sleepwalking.

Breakfast consisted of cake and ice. Nothing special happening there. It was just a regular day so far. I grabbed a cup from a cabinet and grabbed an ice tray from the freezer, emptying the ice until nothing else could fit.

The past few days didn't go over so well. Let's review, shall we?

I stole Matt's car keys, Mello caught the kitchen on fire, Near doesn't trust me one bit, I already got in a fight with Mello, Kaida's not helping, Shai's practically dying, Misa won't get off of my case about love, Aizawa is ticked off by the whole fire incident, Ketsueki hasn't shown up at all, I _still _don't know where Rem put the Death Note, I have to make sure Misa doesn't confess her feelings to Light, I'm going to end up punching Matsuda if he keeps saying 'Misa-Misa,' Mogi's fine so long as he continues not to speak, Soichiro is too protective of Light to even consider the fact that he's Kira (which he is), and if it wasn't for my apathetic nature that morning I would've gone into overload already.

_I wonder what's going to happen today…_

Grabbing my cup of ice and my stuffed purple elephant, I walked to the elevator. I was still in my pajamas, but I didn't really care at this point. I was too lazy to change.

I half stumbled into the room, losing my footing only when I stepped through the door. When I regained my balance, I took in the space before me.

Strange. No one was in the computer room (or so I have named it). Or so I thought before I spotted white hair. Near was sitting at one of the computers, stacking matches to build a tower.

I was about to ask where everyone was, but one of the monitors caught my eye. Everyone except Mello, Matt, and Kaida were on screen. The room looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place where they were. I guessed that Shai was still in bed. I made a mental note to check up on her later.

A silver glint from the screen caught my eye. I cursed myself for being so stupid and missing the object that was right in front of my very eyes. L and Light were linked together by handcuffs. I couldn't believe it took me more than ten seconds to see it. Of course, I didn't have my glasses, so it was extremely hard to see from so far away, but I found that I was unknowingly walking toward the monitors to the point where I can make them out.

"Are you sure this is necessary, Ryuzaki?" Light asked uncertainly, holding up his cuffed hand.

"This is as difficult for me as it is for you," L replied in his monotone.

"So is _this _what you meant by being together twenty-four hours a day with him?" Misa asked. "Looking at you, I never would've guessed. Are you on _that_ side of the fence, Ryuzaki?" Misa's eyes narrowed suspiciously and a sneaky grin appeared on her face.

"I told you I'm not doing this because I want to, ok?"

Misa pulled a pout and crossed her arms. "Well, what if Light gets a girlfriend? If you're with him twenty-four/seven, how are they supposed to go on dates together?" Her tone of voice was obvious to me. When she said 'girlfriend' she was referring to herself. I mentally laughed. _Like Light's gonna agree to that._

"Misa, now's probably not the best time for me to get a girlfriend," Light informed.

"Light's right. And even if he _did _get a girlfriend, they could still go on dates, but it'll have to be the three of us."

"No way! Are you telling me that they have to kiss in front of you and stuff?"

"I'm not telling them to do anything. But yes, I suppose I would be watching."

"That's so gross! You really _are _a pervert, aren't you?" Misa shouted.

"Will someone please make Misa stop talking now?"

"Listen, Misa. That's enough," Light cut in. "The police have already established that it was _you _who sent those tapes, so you're lucky to even be here right now. They have every right to put you in prison."

"What?" Misa looked heartbroken. If I was the only one in the room, I would've burst out laughing. I loved watching overdramatic people freak out. It was…entertaining.

After a moment, L spoke. "Anyway, for the time being, you'll remain under surveillance. When you do go out, if needed, you'll be able contact us using this room's extension. For the most part you're life will return to normal. But from now on, for all private and work related affairs, Mr. Matsuda will be accompanying you as your new manager, Matsui."

So he finally explained how much freedom Misa had. It was about time. _Oh, that's right. Misa's original manager was arrested on drug charges… _

"Matsui here!" Matsuda waved awkwardly from the background.

"Your agency has been paid to keep quiet and the police don't know. _Don't _blow his cover," L finished. When taking another glance at Matsuda, I decided to survey the rest of the Task Force. It was apparent that none of them wanted to be there, for they were trying their best to keep in the shadows. Those who were out in the light ducked their heads in annoyance at Misa's voice.

"_This _old guy's my manager? Oh, you can't be serious!"

"Aw, come on! What's wrong with me, Misa-Misa? Is it the tie cause I can get a-"

Aizawa let out a small yell of frustration as he stood dramatically and slammed his hands on the table in front of him. "Would you cut it out with all of this dating, kissing, and Misa-Misa talk, already? This is the Kira investigation! Stop messing around!" Soichiro's eyes were wide with shock and his mouth was slightly open at Aizawa's sudden outburst.

"Sorry about that, Aizawa," Matsuda brought a hand behind his head.

Aizawa turned his head to him, his glare easing a bit. "No, it's alright. I just figured out what the problem is," he said through gritted teeth. The police officer then straightened up and walked over to Misa. "Misa Amane, it is time for you to go to your room!" Aizawa outstretched his arm and pointed to the door as he gave the order.

"Why?" Misa whined.

"Out you go!"

"Doh!"

Once Aizawa finally got the door shut, he wiped his forehead with his arm and groaned.

Come to think of it…

"Why is L deciding to do this now? Did Light or Misa do anything to raise suspicion?" I asked.

Near didn't take his eyes off his matches as he replied. "There have been multiple deaths occurring in Aoyama."

"?" Near didn't need to explain anything else. Since this Kira is possibly in Aoyama, L wants to keep a close eye on Light and see if the murders stop and perhaps for several other reasons as well, which I was sure was the case. Pretty self-explanatory.

My mind activated as quickly as it froze and my eyes turned to focus in on Light. _Did Rem finally give the notebook to someone else or did Light give up his Death Note? _

Near stretched his neck to peer over his match tower and grabbed a file. When he held it out for me, his eyes kept facing the direction of his match tower. "Let me know what you make of these. Take as much time as you need to look them over."

I raised an eyebrow. _What is this, another test? _

Curious, I tucked my elephant under my arm and set down my cup of ice, grabbing the file and scanning what was inside. There were at least ten papers it. Each page had a victim's picture and information, including age, sex, height, weight, eye color, medical history, time of death, cause of death, and a bunch of other stuff. But what shocked me were the ages.

_The ages are either 16 or 17…most of them 16. So it would make sense that the killer was the same age…Their deaths weren't from heart attacks…just fires, electrocutions, and other accidents…But still, the fact that they're all around the same age and school leads one to believe that Kira is killing innocent people, or in our case, someone other than Kira has a Death Note…_

"Ok…from what I see, the killer is a 16 year old student at Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School," I thought about the Japanese school system. "Since these people appear to be 16 to 17, the killer is either a first year or second year, but most likely second," I squinted when I saw their school related information. "The killer gets bullied a lot."

Near tore his eyes away from his tower and looked over at me. "If you will, please explain how you arrived at that conclusion."

"Well, the girls are in cheerleading clubs and the guys are in American football clubs…" I murmured to no one in particular, but loud enough for Near to hear me. I tilted a girl's profile towards the window for more light. "These girls are really pretty…" I commented. "Obviously, the victims were popular around school. These records show that some of these guys were troublemakers, so it wouldn't surprise me if they bullied other people. Cheerleaders are usually snobbish because they think they're better than everyone else, so they tend to step on a lot of people to get to the top. The killer was probably a victim of these bullies, and once he or she obtained the Death Note's power, they used it for revenge. Since none of these are heart attacks and if this person really _does _have Kira's power, then they would have tested it on someone else, first-resulting in that person having a heart attack. To see if the Death Note was real, of course. Or maybe this person didn't go for a heart attack for proof at the beginning. If they did, then they may have killed a criminal that we've mistaken as Kira's doing or perhaps an innocent person that's old enough to have a heart attack. If my theory is correct, then this person has emotional issues. This person acts on feelings alone; I mean, they're barely covering their tracks, and they're not thinking of the consequences of their actions," I finished.

I looked up from the files. "Of course, I'm only making assumptions based off of stereotypes, so don't completely rely on that idea. Actually, relying on that idea is foolish. I wouldn't suggest it until we find out more information. I'm just getting ahead of myself, here…but it's something to consider, so don't throw it away. As for what to do…I was thinking maybe Shai, Kaida or myself should go down there and investigate since-"

"No," Near said simply, but slightly louder than usual to interrupt me.

I looked at Near with a confused expression. "Why not?"

"Ryuzaki had told me that you three are from America; is this information correct?"

"Yeah."

"It would be irrational to send one of you three to a Japanese school. You aren't used to the school system, and I doubt you're smart enough to keep up with the classes."

"Then who else is gonna do it?" I asked, completely ignoring his blunt insult.

"Mello and Matt stand a better chance at going undercover than you, since they've had experience. Ryuzaki will most likely send them."

I sighed heavily and laid the files beside his tower. It was true. They _were _geniuses, after all. They would breeze through the school work and still manage to survey the place without those distractions. "If there's nothing for me to help with, then why did you give me these files in the first place?"

Near twirled his hair as he added another match to his tower. "I wanted to hear your deduction."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "And?"

"You were right; relying on that idea _is _foolish."

I thought about his reply for a moment. Was he saying I was smart for pointing that out or dumb for going through the explanation?

Silence enclosed the room.

"Though, you're right about one thing. That is something to keep in mind."

When I was sure he wasn't going to say anything else, I nodded and removed my elephant from under my arm, pulling it to my stomach and moving my eyes to the monitors. I felt kind of bad about my explanation. Yes, it was stereotyped, but isn't everything these days? I even pointed out at the end that it was foolish to go by. Other than that, I had given no other suggestions. Perhaps Near expected more from me. Perhaps not. Either way, I still looked down on myself. I wasn't anywhere near as smart as the Wammy kids, so I pretty much gave up. I knew that every conclusion I come by would have already been considered by someone else.

It was quite saddening. In the short amount of time I knew about the Aoyama case, I was looking forward to helping out. Besides, I've always wondered what a Japanese school was like. I guess I'll never know.

Oh well.

The monitor had been switched to Misa's room, so I guessed that the meeting was over. It wouldn't be long before L and Light made their way up to the computer room. I didn't feel like sticking around, so I walked to the elevator. I needed to go see Shai, anyway.

I passed L and Light on the way. They didn't take notice of me, and I them. The rest of the Task Force followed behind them. Thanks to Watari, security was lighter than before for the residents already inside. There was still all of that other stuff you had to go through before you entered the building, but you didn't need a pass code for the elevator anymore. I guess that was just a precaution at the beginning to make sure no one would break in.

* * *

I yawned and scratched my head. "She's not here," I stated simply to myself. Shai was nowhere on her floor. I thought of a place where she might go besides the computer room. I snapped my fingers. "I know!"

* * *

"Kaida! Is Shai here?" When I got no reply, I peeked in her bedroom. "Kaida?"

Kaida's entire room was dark. I couldn't see anything but the faint outline of the bed. "Hello?" After a moment, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared from on top of the bed and a low, dangerous growl could be heard.

"Deh!" I put on a fearful face and instantly regretted walking into the room.

"_What_?"

"I-I-I just wanted-ed to know if…if Shai was here…but I guess…she's not…" I laughed nervously.

"_Get. Out._"

I didn't need to be told twice. I raced out of the room as fast as my feet would allow and almost fell when I reached the elevator. I jabbed my finger at a random button and pushed it over and over again, somehow thinking that the elevator doors would close faster. Once they did, I retreated to the corner of the elevator and sank to the floor, holding my elephant close and my cup of ice in front of it.

_Boy, do I have terrible timing..._ Why did I always forget that Kaida slept in? The next time she saw me, she was gonna kill me for sure.

I sighed and stood when the elevator doors opened. That was strange. I've never been to this room before. I cautiously stepped in and looked around after rechecking which button I had pushed. Floor 12. Interesting…

The room was just like any other living room. TV, couch, end tables, Mello, a coffee table, a few lamps…wait, backing up.

"Mello?" The said teen was currently nibbling on his chocolate in an armchair positioned diagonal from the couch, where Matt was seated.

"What?" He sounded kind of annoyed, as always. Maybe he wasn't over that whole fire incident after all.

"Uh-no, nothing! I was just…I came here by accident. You see I was trying to find Shai, and I went up on Kaida's floor where she was still sleeping, and…"

"You woke her up?" Mello asked warily.

I scratched the back of my head with my free hand. "Well…"

Matt let out an amused laugh, his eyes glued to his DS. "Dude…she's gonna _kill_ you!"

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Matt!" I spat as I took out an ice cube and popped it in my mouth. "Well, if Shai's not here, then I guess I'll be on my way. Sorry for walking in on you guys," I said, my voice muffled by my ice. I turned around and made a step to the elevator.

"Hey."

I turned around again to meet Mello's serious gaze. "Did you find out about the Aoyama case?"

I nodded.

"And?"

I sighed and walked to the couch opposite of Matt. "Well, I really don't see why my opinion matters. There's really nothing I can do to help, anyway." I sat down and hugged my elephant close, staring at my cup of ice.

"The more suggestions we get, the better the case will turn out," Mello said in a low voice.

After thinking for a moment, I told him what I told Near. Since I already had my thoughts in order, it took faster to explain.

When I had finished, Mello nodded. "That's the most likely scenario."

"I mean, for all we know, it could be a psycho teacher or a janitor. It could be anybody…Are you guys gonna go undercover there, then?"

Matt shrugged. "Who knows? I guess we fit the bill, so it wouldn't be a surprise."

"You're probably right," I stood and stretched, grabbing my cup of ice that I had set on the table during my explanation and headed for the elevator. "I'd better go find Shai," I announced. Before I got to the elevator, though, I stopped myself and turned around once again. "Hey, guys…"

Matt and Mello lifted their heads at my sudden change of tone. I bowed quickly. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I hope you're not still mad at me…"

There was silence. I took that as a 'screw you' and straightened up. "Alright then," I quietly muttered to myself as I turned around for the umpteenth time that day.

I heavy sigh could be heard from the other side of the room. "You're forgiven."

My eyes went wide and I turned my head to Mello. I beamed at him and instantly brightened up. Mello's face seemed to go from irritation to confusion. Why that was, I wasn't sure. Matt just continued to stare at me wordlessly as I literally bounced into the elevator and pushed a button. I closed my eyes, giving them one of those anime smiles as the doors closed.

* * *

Finding Shai wasn't all that easy. She left no clues as to where she'd gone. I had pretty much given up after a half-hour of looking and I was sitting in my room, looking up at the ceiling. I still hadn't gotten dressed for the day.

Shai's disappearance was the last thing on my mind at that moment. Don't get me wrong, I was concerned, but I was more worried about the Aoyama case. I knew I was right. I just knew it.

_Well, I've been wrong before…I wonder whose Death Note it is. In the anime, this is where Light's memories would have been erased. Since he wasn't locked up like before, Light shouldn't have gotten rid of the Death Note. But his character that I saw on the monitor…it was the same as in the anime…and everything looked the same…which means that his memories…_

_They were erased!_

When this thought struck my head, a string of random epiphanies started stabbing my mind.

"AW, FUCK!" I slammed my cup of ice on the table and threw my elephant behind me, not really caring where it landed. The first thing I reached for was my closet.

_How could I have been so stupid? _I screamed in my head as I tore out some random clothing. _That's why L doesn't trust me! It was so obvious, it hit me in the face and I didn't know it! He must've done a background check on my name! He knows I'm lying about my identity! And even though I wasn't working with his investigation team before, I still had an alias. _That's _why he let me work with him so easily. I used an alias, I told him I sat like him to improve my deductive reasoning abilities, I showed off at the candy store and beat the register and I literally aced the deductive reasoning tests he gave me. He knows I'm different. He knows I'm not from here. That's why he's wary! _

I shook my head and resumed my thoughts from before.

_Light's memories were erased, but that doesn't mean that he has a plan! Maybe he's doing this just to throw off suspicion. I don't know! But what I _do _know is that Light must not have specified where Ryuk put the Death Note. No! Light would have been careful about who he gave it to. So the one in Aoyama has Misa's Death Note! Or maybe…_

Wait a minute. My thoughts stopped, but my body was quite active. I had already thrown on some clothes and running to the elevator.

_It could be Shai's Death Note. Not that Shai would give it up, but what if she doesn't have it anymore and I just didn't notice her memories get erased? It would be down in Aoyama then, right? It's a possibility. But the only way Shai would lose her Death Note would be to lose her memories from Rem's attack, which is still possible because the doctors told Shai before she left that the slightest bump on her head could cause serious brain damage and activate memory loss. She's not stupid enough to have the Death Note stolen or taken away from her, and Ketsueki wouldn't take it out of the blue. But it still wouldn't be in Aoyama. The deaths started days ago, and Shai had been perfectly fine besides yesterday. Then there's also Ryuk's second Death Note that he stole from Sidoh._

_Light's Death Note is out there floating around somewhere, but it's not in Aoyama. So whose Death Note is it? I guess there's only one way to find out. _

As the elevator doors opened, I raced into the room and skidded to a halt in the middle of the floor. I was panting heavily and my hands were on my knees.

I straightened myself and lifted my head to meet the curious gaze of L. "Ryuzaki, I want to investigate Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School!"

There was silence.

"Masako-"

"It would be better if _I _go," I interrupted Near. "Whoever goes to that school will be put into a lot of danger. Ryuzaki, you need the Wammy kids here. You shouldn't risk it, at least, not while I'm around to do it instead. I'm perfectly capable of getting used to the Japanese school system, and I may not be a genius, but I _can _read people. Give me two weeks tops, and I _will_ find this Third Kira!" Well, I really wouldn't refer to this person as a 'Third Kira,' considering the fact that this person isn't taking the necessary precautions not to get caught and isn't even worthy to be _called _a Kira, but I wasn't really controlling what was coming out of my mouth at that point.

"Well, I was going to say three weeks, but if you think you can do better…"

"Wait, what?" I stared at L, completely stunned.

"Before you burst into the room and _interrupted our_ _conversation_," the change in his tone at the end was only slightly noticeable as he continued. "we were discussing who should infiltrate the school in search of the killer. All three of us, that is, Light, Near, and I, have agreed to assign you the task."

I blinked. "Why did you decide on me?" I asked, choosing my words carefully.

"Out of the possible candidates that fit the requirements, you are the most observant. And since this person is obvious enough to find as it is, I'm sure it won't be that hard. Besides, Near informed me that you were willing take on this case, unlike Shai and Kaida."

"Wait, Shai and Kaida already know about it?"

"Yeah. They told them about it a few minutes ago," Matsuda answered.

"Five minutes ago? Where'd Shai go? I was looking for her."

"Last I saw, she went into the kitchen with Kaida."

"Thanks, Matsu!" I made my way to the kitchen, but stopped abruptly and turned around. "Hey, thanks for letting me take part in the Aoyama case. I'll find the Third Kira for sure!" I gave them a thumbs up and winked, then continued on my way to my destination.

"Yes, let's hope so," L murmured quietly. Even if he did say it loud enough, it wouldn't have made a difference because I was already gone.

"Shai! There you are!" I threw up my hand and waved wildly, but my expression was far from cheery. "Shai, we need to talk."

Shai was sitting in a chair with her back at the table with her back turned to me. Kaida was on the other side of the table, a few chairs away from her. She was mindlessly chewing on her chocolate, but when her eyes fell on me, her eyes hardened into a glare.

"I'm sorry! The average person would actually wake up in the morning, so I figured you'd be awake!" I didn't yell; just raised my voice defensively.

"_Do-I-look-average-to-you_?" Kaida said, each word dripping with anger and annoyance.

"Aaaaaaaaanyway…" I started, attempting to find an escape from Kaida's wrath. "I need to discuss…_universal _issues with you guys."

Kaida's face went from angry to serious and she grabbed Shai's arm, heading to the door. "We'll talk outside."

I nodded in agreement.

Of course, we passed the Task Force along the way, but no one said anything. My cell phone didn't even ring when we stepped foot outside. I had expected L to call me like he normally did, making sure I was with a Task Force member or asking me where I was going and why. That's when I remembered that I'd left my phone in my room. I sighed. _I'll get it later_.

"What's up?" Kaida asked once we were outside. We were casually walking down the sidewalk, Shai trailing a bit behind us.

"Shai, quit being slow!" I pestered her, waving my hand as a signal for her to go faster.

I expected Shai, being the smartass she was, to yell a comeback at me like always. But this time, she didn't. Actually, she obeyed and power walked up to us. _What is up with her lately?_

"Are you sure you're feeling ok, Shai?" I asked her.

Shai nodded her head. "I'm fine. What about these universal issues?"

"Oh, right. Well, I just realized that Ryuga might have done a background check on us."

"Obviously," commented Kaida.

"And we don't have any real records out there."

"What of it? He would only view us as smarties then because we were wary from the start, right?"

"Yes, but that means that he won't trust us until he knows who we really are."

Shai suddenly stopped walking. I turned my head and gave her a confused look. "What up?"

Instead of an answer like "the sky," I got: "What do you mean, who we really are?"

I blinked at her. "You know, who we really are. Honestly, Shai. I know you're slow, but come on…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you're not catching on to things. I mean I know we had that whole preschool incident yesterday, but you usually bounce back pretty-"

"No! What do you mean by 'who we really are'?" she repeated.

I gave Shai an uncomprehending look. "Your alias, remember? You know, the whole 'we come from a different universe, we know everything that's going to happen, we know everyone's real name, we're trying not to get killed' bit?"

We were at the park and not on the sidewalk anymore. It wasn't the first park we'd ever been to when we went to this world; it was one that was a hell of a lot closer to Task Force HQ, only about a block away. Of course, we couldn't walk to the old one anyway since we moved from the hotel to the permanent HQ.

There weren't any kids at this park since it was a school day, so us three were able to talk freely. Not loudly, since we were still a good distance from the sidewalk, but we could still talk.

After a moment of silence, Shai's eyes returned to their normal size and furrowed her eyebrows. "You know L's real name?" Shai asked disbelievingly.

I furrowed my eyebrows as well and squinted. "You know it, too."

Shai's face went blank and she nodded. "Oh, right. S-Sorry," She laughed nervously. "I guess I didn't really get that much sleep after all."

"Don't go along with it if you don't know," I knew she'd lie about it. Crazy or not, Marichka was still Marichka. She'd go along with something because she's smart enough to know that the truth wouldn't be revealed any other way. _So she doesn't know L's real name? She has to know! I know she knows! Wait a minute…_

Shai blinked helplessly. "I'm sorry, but I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. I'm _Shai Tamaki_. As far as I know, my name's not an alias."

"You mean, you don't remember anything?" I asked warily.

Shai gave me a frustrated look. "Remember what?" she was losing her patience now, which was very unlike her. She must _really _be confused.

I whipped my head around to Kaida, who looked at me with as much confusion as I had. But at the same time, I saw that she knew partly what was going on.

I heard a sinister but familiar laugh from behind Kaida, which made me suspicious. I suddenly realized what was going on. I began to panic and my eyes fell on a rock that was lying conveniently by my foot. I grabbed it and threw it at Shai, hitting her square in the forehead.

She was unconscious before she even hit the ground.

* * *

**Ouch…anyway…thanks to sevviephantom and Willowofthemoons for the memory loss idea, although you've suggested something I was already planning on doing. ^-^ Thanks a million, though! You have led me to MORE ideas! Your efforts shall not be wasted! ;)**

**I still gotta do my stupid summer assignment, so I'm not sure if I'm gonna update soon. Though, it's supposed to rain for the next few days, and rain sometimes gives me writer's rush. So maybe you (and I) will get lucky. Sorry again for the delay, here. Just a heads up: Masako's gonna be heading to school for the next chapter. I know somewhat of what I want to write, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Anything on what kind of character should have the Aoyama Death Note, what's gonna happen with Shai, or anything that has to do with Ketsueki (because he needs more story time!) would be helpful. Thanks! :)**

**I'll see you guys in the next chapter, which will hopefully be soon! **


	24. First Day

**Ketsueki: Hello one and all! Eternalsnowfox has collapsed from exhaustion, so I'll be running this commentary in her place!**

**Audience: *cheers* **

**Ketsueki: Hehe...Now lets see what we have, here…. *looks at huge packet of papers* Let's see here… *murmurs to self, still audible through microphone* Hm…swipe L's cake, send Misa fake love notes from Light, glue Matt's video games to ceiling-**

**Matt: WHAT?**

**Kesueki: Woops! Hehe, wrong list, sorry. *rips off paper* Here we go. Introduce to audience. Check. Reviews…Oh, yes! Here's Kaida!**

**Kaida: Yay! *walks up on stage and happy dances* ESF appreciates all of your amazing reviews! You've been an awesome inspiration!**

**Ketsueki: *scratches head* Hm…Reviews…Check. Warn audience of longest chapter yet…Mello! That's your cue!**

**Mello: -_-" ...Just nevermind…**

**Ketsueki: *shrugs* Alright, well readers, it seems that this chapter is going to be long. **

**Yoshio: …What a moron…**

**Ketsueki: Oh, what's this? Who are you?**

**Yoshio: Hm…guess I'm not supposed to be here, yet. **

**Ketsueki: You're not in the script yet…Hey! I'm not a moron!**

**Yoshio: Whatever you say… *walks off stage***

**Ketsueki: Showoff…*flips page and mumbles* Disclaimer… **

**Shai: My turn! *walks up on stage* ESF doesn't own anything except her OCs. Not us. I repeat. **_**Not. Us.**_

**Ketsueki: Right. Now what else…nope. That's it for the commentary. **

**Kaida: Enjoy the chapter!**

"Holy shit, Masako! What the hell was that?" Kaida exclaimed as she whipped her head around in my direction. The source of the laugh had come from Ketsueki, who was currently hovering over her with an amused expression on his skull like features.

"I-I don't know! I panicked!"

Kaida knelt down beside Shai and checked her pulse.

"Oh, come on! I couldn't have killed her with only a rock!"

"Well, you never know! People die from rocks everyday! You _idiot_!" Kaida held her fingers to Shai's wrist. A moment of silence dragged on.

"…Did I kill her?" I asked fearfully with teary, huge, innocent eyes.

"No, she's alive."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't get too comfortable. She's just gonna kill you when she wakes up," Kaida declared in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Awwwwwooooohhh! What do I do?" I began pacing in a circle, more panic beginning to rise.

"Why'd you hit her with a rock, anyway?" Kaida's frustration was clearly pronounced in her voice as she glared daggers at me.

"Because she completely forgot about the whole switching universes thing. I was thinking that maybe we can just convince her it was all a dream. I-don't-know! I told you; I panicked!"

"Alright, just chill," Kaida inspected the now quickly developing bruise on Shai's forehead. "Dead center. Nice," Kaida nodded at me in approval.

I would've smiled with pride, but the situation we were in prevented it from happening. "So when d'ya think she's gonna get up?"

Kaida's mouth scrunched up and moved to the right side of her face. I guessed she was either calculating many measurements of some sort or she was trying to come up with an answer that sounded smart. "Soon."

"Soon?"

"Soon meaning now."

"Eh?" As if on cue, Shai's eyes began to flutter.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! What do we do?"

"Calm down, for starters!" Kaida hissed.

Shai's eyes were now open, though she squinted from the sun. "Wha-"

"IT WAS KAIDA'S FAULT! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"I did _not _do what you think I did because I didn't do what you think I could've done when you weren't looking! YOU HAVE NO PROOF!"

"Are you ok?" I asked with a hint of panic in my voice and completely ignoring Kaida's response to my outburst.

"I think so…"

I bit my lip nervously. _Jeez…she wasn't even unconscious for that long! Damn, she _does _bounce back fast! _

"What happened?" asked Shai.

"Um…some idiot kid threw a rock at you." Well, I technically didn't tell a lie.

"Really? Cause I had the strangest dream."

"HAHAHAHAHA! Dream? HA!" I continued laughing and my eye twitched constantly. Of course I didn't realize my behavior at the time. I never do until it's too late and the damage had been done. I was sure that this craziness and jitteriness was one of my mood swings, but it only comes around when 1) I don't get enough sleep, 2) I've been under so much stress to the point where I break or 3) I overdose on ice which _is _possible, ladies and gentlemen. I'll explain number 3 at a later time. Of course, the first two are both true, so it wasn't a surprise that Shai's memory loss pushed me off the edge.

"What was your dream about?" asked Kaida.

Shai turned her head to Kaida, about read to explain. Seizing this opportunity, I waved my arms wildly around and slid the sides of my hands across my throat multiple times. Kaida gave me a confused expression, making no attempts to hide it from Shai.

My eyes were still wide when I mouthed 'don't tell her anything!' I made dramatic movements with my arms and hands to prove how important it was for her to follow those instructions.

Kaida raised an eyebrow, and then looked back at Shai. "About that dream?"

There was a pause on my end. Then my head immediately and dramatically hit the ground in exasperation.

"I guess it's not really that important, but…ow…why does my head hurt?" Shai held a hand up to the bump on her forehead and flinched when she touched it. "That dream wouldn't happen to be a reality, would it?"

"What dream? Reality? HAHAHA! No idea what you're talking about," I casually sidestepped away from Shai, looking in the other direction.

"Well, ok. I had a dream that you guys were talking about the issue with switching universes, and I had no idea what you were talking about. Then when I said I didn't know, Masako…hit…me…with…a rock…" Shai looked from her hand that touched her bruise to the rock that was sitting not too far from her and repeated this many times. "..."

There was a long silence. A _very _long, awkward silence. Then…

"MASAKO! YOU IDIOT!"

I yipped and leapt back, afraid that she would suddenly attack. I then retreated to the ground and curled up in a ball, my hands covering my head. "I didn't do it! I swear!"

"That's right. _Bow_ to the awesome might of Kira!" I could just hear the smug smile on her face.

My eyebrows furrowed at her declaration and I lifted my head. Indignation was clearly written in my eyes. She was either hovering over me or she was just so close it appeared that way. Either way, she towered over me with an angry expression on her face, despite the smug smile. The mark was clearly visible on her head now. It was a dark shade of red with a tint of blue, and it didn't look pretty. This reminded me of why she was mad, and it was going to haunt me of what I've done until it healed.

"Wait a minute…did you just call yourself Kira?" I asked her skeptically. Shai usually said this at school. When I would ask for her forgiveness, I would bow in apology and Shai would say 'that's right-bow to Kira' since Kira was her nickname. Of course, this always agitated me because I really didn't have a comeback. I mean, technically, I _was_ bowing to her. But did this mean….?

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Shai did her 'I'm cool' pose; her head lifted up proudly and she puffed out her chest, looking out at the horizon with her hands on her hips. Of course since she was standing, she leaned on one leg and the other was slightly bent, adding to her look of 'coolness.'

Yes, Shai always had _that_ comeback, too. Sometimes if you call her by the nickname 'Kira' she'll say either the line above or 'who?'

"No, this is serious, Shai. Before I even threw that rock-"

"CONFESSION!" screamed Kaida as she pointed dramatically in my direction. She was now off the ground herself, as was I.

"-you seemed to have no memory of your previous life, you know, previous life as in the real world. And you're using our inside jokes, so you _had _to remember at least some of your past life. What happened with that?" I asked her.

Shai furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Ok, so now I'm _definitely _sure that wasn't a dream…"

"So the bruise wasn't enough?" Ketsueki asked sarcastically from the sidelines.

"Shai, you forgot everything about us coming from a different world. Now…" I smiled knowingly. "Alright. There are two possibilities here. One," I held up a finger. "You played dumb about switching worlds just so I would turn my attention away from you and focus more on catching Kira, knowing that _you _would be able to carry out Light's plans without me breathing down your neck and watching your every move. Plus, the rock I threw didn't affect your memory. Or two," I held up a second finger. "You really _did _lose your memories from before, but hitting you with a rock got them back. So which is it?" I raised my eyebrow at the questioned girl and she shrugged.

"As smart as Plan One sounds, and as likely as it is that I would achieve such a feat, I'd have to say that's not true. So it must be Number Two that was the case," Shai said in her logic-like tone.

"_Or_ you _did _put Plan One into action, but when I hit you with the rock, you forgot that you were using that plan, thinking that you really had memory loss," I concluded. I eyed Shai suspiciously.

"No, I remember clearly now…I really did forget…"

"You know, there's some serious contradicting in that sentence," I pointed out.

"Why do I get the feeling that Rem's attack had something to do with this?" Kaida was more talking to herself than anyone else, but I answered anyway.

"Because it did. The doctors told Shai that she's more likely to suffer memory loss than me, which means something big since _I _was the one that lost blood from the head, not her."

"The real question here is what the hell made her lose her memories to begin with?"

"Hey guys…You don't have to talk about me like I'm not even here…"

I laughed nervously and patted Shai's shoulder, moving my entire arm up and down instead of my wrist. "Sorry, our bad!" I let my arm rest to my side and thought for a moment. "Well then, what do you think, Shai? After all, it was _your _memories that disappeared."

"I don't know…Now that I think about it, I remember something hit my head during that preschool war thingy…I guess I didn't notice until I finally settled down and everything was over. After that, I felt really sick and I thought it would go away in the morning…you know…since I'm always sick."

"Did you feel any head pain?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. But I figured it was one of those massive headaches I always get. I didn't think it would result to something like this…"

"So it took a while for the memory loss to kick in? That's new," Ketsueki wasn't hovering anymore, now standing, but he was still behind Kaida. Since we were the only ones who could see the shinigami, only we could see the shadow he cast over Kaida and Shai while he stood. I stood not too far away from them, but not under Ketsueki's shadow.

"Wait, wait, wait. So let me get this straight. Something had physically and painfully made contact with your head during our volunteer session at the preschool. You then felt nauseous on the way to headquarters and at the same time got a headache. You went to sleep, thinking it would go away the next day. You woke up the next morning, forgetting completely about the whole S.U.D. situation."

"What?" Shai piped up.

"Switching Universes Dilemma. Anyway…You completely forgot about the S.U.D. and probably a bunch of other stuff. You then said you had no idea what the S.U.D. was about, so I panicked and threw a rock at your face, hoping we could disguise the whole incident as a dream since we've revealed information that you didn't know at the time. I wanted this to appear as a dream because, well, you're on Kira's side. And there's feasibility that Kira had given you information that was crucial to his success before you lost your memories. And I'm on L's side, so that should be pretty self-explanatory."

Shai sighed and nodded. "But there's something else…"

"And what's that?" Kaida inquired.

Shai inhaled slowly before continuing. "Just because you hit me with a rock and I'm now aware of the S.U.D., doesn't mean I retained _all _of my memories…"

"Well…what did you forget?"

Shai thought for a moment, and then replied irritably. "I don't know. I'll let you know when I remember." Hm. Must be deja vu.

"Guys…I think we should take this more seriously," Kaida informed with a serious expression on her face.

I sighed. "I guess you're right…"

"I mean, it feels like there are gaps in my head…"

"So it's true, then…Not all of your memories are back…" I scrunched up my nose in frustration. I turned to Shai fully. "Well, for all we know, you got all of your memories back. So be grateful." I said, wrapping up the conversation. I was kind of disappointed. If Shai forgot about everything, L would win for sure. And the odds were already against Kira. I mean, we have L, Near, Mello, and Matt all working against him. I _still _can't believe L brought the Wammy kids here. I just can't. He's not one to give in easily, so my reasoning wouldn't be enough. There's no use hoping it was, because I'm no fool. Something else swayed his judgment. It wasn't just my asking him that caused him to let them in the case while he was still alive. He either knows about one of our secrets and is just going along with what I say, or something else influenced him. It had to be the latter. L wouldn't make it that obvious if he knew one of our secrets; he would be more wary of us. He wouldn't let me off the chain like he's been doing ever since I entered the Task Force. How can he be so careless?

_He _has _to know something I don't. But what is it?_

"I think we should be getting back, now," Kaida suggested. Her thumb was pointing in the direction that we came.

"Oh, crap! We need to get going! I forgot that I had left my cell phone in my room, so that's why we weren't interrupted by Ryuga …I'm guessing no one else has their cell phone on them?"

When my two companions (minus the shinigami) shook their heads, I sighed. "Well, that was a tremendously confusing walk. Let's head back. I need to get details on the Aoyama case anyway."

"Your alias will be Honoka Morishira. I have already provided you with the materials you will need to perform the investigation, including a school bag, uniform, and notes to help you catch up with your class. I suggest you go study those soon, because you're starting tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Uh…no."

"Good," L was currently perched in a soft, red armchair with his boney hands on his knees. To be honest, he looked…rather small. Of course, he always looked small since he was constantly curled up, but for some reason…he looked smaller than usual. There was a low coffee table with sweets covering the half closest to the detective, and the Task Force had been gathered around on the couches. The furniture was arranged kind of like it was at the hotel. Two armchairs were across from each other with a coffee table in the middle, and couches were lining the remaining two sides. Kaida was leaning against the wall in the shadows and Shai was holding an icepack-courtesy of Watari-to her badly bruised forehead. I almost winced at how quickly it developed. Shai told the Task Force, to my disdain, that I had lost my footing, causing her to trip in the process and landing face first on the sidewalk. It wasn't that hard to believe, considering the fact that I was a klutz, but it still bugged me that she would use an excuse with me in it. "I've already had Watari create fake records for you. A copy of these records will be found along with your other school items on the closest table to the door on your floor. You will be in class 2-B," L informed with a mouthful of cake.

I blinked. _So I'm going…alone? _

I never really thought about it much, but I've always had someone around me ever since we came to the Death Note world. I've never had much solitude except for when I go to my floor, but I'm usually hanging around the Task Force waiting for instructions on what to do or just killing time until then.

Despite my thoughts, I nodded. "Alright. Anything else?"

He took a four second sip of his tea (or coffee) before replying. "Oh, yes. School will begin at 8:30 and continue until 3:30. Matt will have to drive you since the school is a half-hour away, so I had your alarm set for 7 am. An hour should be plenty of time to get yourself ready, right?"

"Yeah…" Actually, an hour was _too _much time. It only takes me exactly seven minutes to eat a bowl of cereal; five if I hurry. To throw on my clothes, brush my teeth, and anything else I need to do usually take me twelve minutes. That's nineteen minutes I'm using, and forty-one minutes I have to spare. What the hell was I supposed to do with forty-one minutes?

"When you obtain information that has at least the slightest value to the case, report to either Near, Mello, or Matt. The Task Force and I will work on catching the real Kira, while you and my successors, with the exception of Shai and Kaida if needed, will work on finding the Third Kira."

Once I grasped his logic, which didn't take long, I nodded.

So the rest of the day was spent studying the notes I had been given.

June 10, 2010

Popping an ice cube into my mouth, I grabbed my school bag and headed to the elevator, leaving my poor cup of ice behind once again. To be honest, I was up way before 7. I guess it was because I was nervous. As said before, I'd never been to a Japanese school before. Of course, I had Light explain what it was like since he's on his first year of college, but that still didn't put me at ease.

While waiting for the doors to open, I checked my uniform again. I had on a dark blue, almost black skirt that was halfway to my knees and a short, white outlined neck collar to match. I had a short sleeved white top on with a red scarf like tie wrapped around my neck and under my collar, making a small bow in the front. There was also a small pocket on the lower right side of the shirt. My shoes were plain black flats and my school bag was the same color as my skirt and collar. Not too fancy; not too simple.

Right now, it was 7:51 am. I had to stall for a bit, considering the fact that I had woken up early. Now, I had 9 minutes left…

The Task Force wasn't at work yet. They'd be here soon since it was almost 8. Matt, Mello, L, Near, and Shai were in the room, but I didn't pay much attention to what they were doing. My eyes and attention were on Kaida, who had walked into the room at the same time as I did. She walked up to me and held out a bento box wrapped in a pink strawberry patterned cloth and tied at the top.

I tilted my head to the side in question as I took what I assumed to be my lunch. "Thanks, Kaida." I then eyed her suspiciously. "Did _you_ make this?"

"Yeah…" Kaida gave me an 'isn't it obvious?' look.

My eyes widened in shock and looked at the box with alarm.

"I didn't poison it!" Kaida said, exasperated that I would think such things.

I narrowed my eyes and moved my head a little to the right.

"It's not going to explode…" she rolled her eyes.

I raised my eyebrow and put my free hand on my hip.

"There's nothing wrong with it! I swear! Not even _I_ would stoop that low."

I sighed with relief.

Kaida smiled mischievously. "Or would I?"

Almost dropping the box with yet more alarm, I glared at the girl in front of me.

"Just kidding, it's just cake…" she managed to say through her small laughs.

My eyes visibly brightened at the word 'cake' and brought the box close to my nose with both of my hands, smelling it for confirmation.

"Freak," I heard Kaida comment. I glared and stuck my tongue out at her.

"Let's go!" Mello shouted determinedly from the door.

My ears perked up, knowing he was talking to me, so I bounced to his side. I turned around and threw up a hand, waving happily. "Bye everybody! See you after school!"

L held up a lazy hand without looking away from his computer screen and Shai gave a simple 'bye' since she was playing her DS. Kaida merely nodded and went back into the kitchen.

I sighed. Typical Near. Only speaks when spoken to. "Bye, Near."

"Goodbye," he replied quietly. He was currently stacking tarot cards and was away from the entrances and exits of the room. He was in one of those spaces where he was fairly well hidden if he wasn't being searched for, but easy to find in case you needed him for something.

I smiled, feeling pity for his lack of social abilities, but shrugged after a quick moment. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned my attention to Mello, who was already at the door with a hurried expression. There was visible irritation on his face as well; I assumed it was because I had addressed Near. Of course, the very mention of his name would tip Mello off from any sort of angle, and it was then that it hit me: I needed to be more careful about what I say around him. Mello was like a time bomb…he could go off at any moment. His movements were unpredictable, as were Shai's, and he lets emotion be his guide. He won't hesitate to act on his own. He was dangerous. Whether we were both working on the same case or not, I was sure that he wouldn't hesitate to harm me or anyone else…No. Mello isn't that brutal. He wouldn't harm anyone unless provoked…but _damn_ he can be scary.

I was fidgeting all the way to the school.

_I don't know if I can do this…_

My inner voice, of whom I presumed to be long gone, returned to my thoughts. _Of course you can do this! You broke into Sakura TV and demanded those tapes with a police officer at gunpoint for crying out loud!_

_No, _Soichiro _demanded those tapes. _

_But you still held an officer at gunpoint. That's like, major badass!_

_Can we please pay attention to my current issue right now? I have no idea who the killer is, and I'm walking right into their midst!_

_All right, all right. Chill. Just remember that it could be the nerd of the school. _

_We can't completely rely on that, though. _

_And don't forget, this person could have the eyes. They're going to know that you're using an alias._

_Oh shit! I've never thought of that! How can I be so stupid?_

_Calm down. If you see anyone suspicious, just befriend them. For all you know, it's just another cheerleader or jock killing everyone else off so they can have the spotlight. _

_Good point…Aw, we're here! Please tell me that's not the school!_

_Ok, that's not the school._

_DON'T LIE TO ME!_

_Hey, that was your call. And remember: _you're _the one that volunteered for this, so there's no way out of it. _

I gulped. Matt didn't pull up right in front of the High School. We were about 300 feet away, but you can still see it…and even though it stood there looking like an innocent school, I had a bad feeling. For some reason, I felt that it was a bad idea to even get near the building.

Mello turned his head to me from the passenger seat. "You have your Ipod, right?"

"Yeah."

Mello reached into the glove compartment and took out a set of headphones, handing them to me. "These modified headphones were specifically designed for this investigation by Matt."

Matt looked at me through his rearview mirror and put his arm over his seat, a cigarette hanging from his mouth and his goggles strapped tightly over his eyes. "Any instructions that Near will give you will be received through the left headphone. Anything you say along with any sounds around you will be transmitted through the right headphone."

I grabbed my Ipod out of my bag and switched headphones, storing my old ones in my bag. "Will I still be able to listen to my music?" I asked hopefully.

At this, Matt turned around in his seat and they both looked at me incredulously.

I put my hands up in front of my face and waved them a bit, trying to get them to back off. "Ok, fine. No music."

"No…you canlisten to music with those, but it'll be cut off if either Near or one of us are trying to contact you," Matt replied.

"You don't _need _to listen to music, though. This is an investigation, Masako! Not some ordinary school day. You need to keep your eyes _and _ears open!" Mello snapped.

"You're right; I'm sorry!" I pulled a pout and looked down at my lap. No music. This day would be terrific.

Mello rolled his eyes at my expression and Matt turned around in his seat, but I saw a little guilt in both of their faces.

"Get going," Mello ordered through his teeth as he snapped off his chocolate wrapped in shiny, silver foil.

I obeyed and hopped out of the car. Matt hung his arm out the window with his cigarette between his fingers and his other hand was holding the steering wheel. "We'll be hanging around the area all day just in case you need a quick escape. We won't be in the same place for long so we're not spotted, so there's no need to panic if we're not here. Just contact Near if your life seems endangered in any way, and follow his instructions. Mello and I will most likely come get you. D'ja get all that?"

Muttering a 'yeah', I shifted my school bag in a more comfortable grip, my bento box inside.

_So that's it, then. If I'm in danger, Near would have to save me. And if he didn't…he would be my demise. _I really didn't like the fact that my life was in someone else's hands. It was just…unnatural for me. It was a foreign feeling; having to rely on someone else. I was always a loner. Whenever given the choice, I would accept no help and give none unless asked.

Mello leaned towards Matt's window so he could see my face. "Good, now get going. You're going to be late."

I checked my watch that L had oh so kindly given me for the investigation and nearly jumped at the time. "I'm gonna be late!" I confirmed. I raced full speed away from the car and towards the school. The nervousness I had felt seemed to evaporate as it was replaced with adrenaline and fear of being late. My Ipod was in my small shirt pocket along with the modified headphones, which I reminded myself to get out later.

By some miracle, I managed to make it to class on time. I stopped in the doorway and fidgeted a bit, trying to absorb the room around me as quickly as possible.

The desks were spread out and perfectly aligned in columns and rows. The teacher wasn't in the classroom yet, so I wasn't as late as I thought I was; we still had five minutes before the class started. Looking around the room, I noticed that the students were anything but the sophisticated people I saw in anime.

Guys were leaning up against the walls, talking casually or huddled around the desks in groups of about three or four people while mostly every girl was sitting down in a chair or on a desk. The boys' uniforms were the same shade of dark blue as the girls', only they had pockets on their pants and two columns of silver buttons running down their shirts. It looked more like a button up long sleeve jacket like shirt, but I wasn't sure how they put it on.

_Hehe…_

I blinked and nearly flushed at my inner voice's comment.

_It's not that I _want _to know!_

_Right…_

_Pervert!_

_I am you, you are me. What's the difference?_

_Shut up! _I shut out my voice and took a look around the room.

Windows were spread out on the other side of the room. The walls underneath them seemed high and far out enough to sit on, as some students were doing now. The teacher's desk was cluttered with papers and writing utensils; no where near organized. The walls were pretty bare, as expected.

Before I could take in more of the classroom, I felt someone push me from behind. "Move it, kid!" A boy with black, messed up hair walked impatiently passed me along with some girl that had brown hair, who apologized for his behavior quickly and then followed after him. Realizing I had been blocking the entrance of the classroom I made a beeline for an empty desk away from most of the kids, feeling slightly frustrated by my stupidity. Once seated, I took the modified headphones out of my shirt pocket and put them in my ears, just in case anyone tried to call in. The line was silent for now.

After a full thirty seconds of waiting silently, I felt a few pairs of eyes turn to me. "Hey!" One of them shouted at me.

I had to suppress a groan, to my annoyance. I wasn't even in the classroom for two minutes and someone's already trying to talk to me. I turned my blank expression to the group where I heard the exclamation. They were a few desks away, and I didn't have to move my head that much to see them. A brunette was sitting on a desk, eyeing me suspiciously. Her skirt was incredibly short and she was wearing heels, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that she couldn't follow the rules even if she tried. A larger group than that of the other desks surrounded her. Three boys and two girls, I noted. I quickly memorized their faces and expressions, storing them somewhere in my brain to analyze later.

"New kid, right?" the brunette asked.

I paused for a bit, unsure of how to reply. If the killer was after these kinds of people, I couldn't get mixed up with them. I was hoping to claim the title as one of the quiet ones. At least with that solution, I would less likely die.

"Hello~" she sang impatiently with a frustrated vision on her face.

"Hello," I replied nonchalantly. I felt a mood swing hit and all of my emotions cleared. My eyes felt dark today, matching my 'down' mood. I wasn't sure why, but just like Shai's, my eyes changed color from time to time. And today, they just felt…dark.

"I _said_ you're the new kid, right?" The girl pronounced each word with dramatic slowness and her friends laughed.

If I was in any other mood but the one I was in at that time, I would've thrown out a smart comeback. "Yes," I replied simply with a raised eyebrow.

_I need to avoid getting on anyone's bad side._

_Too late…_ The voice in my head whispered spookily.

The girl slid off of her desk and walked up to me with her chin held high, apparently trying to let off some air of authority. "Well if that's the case, then I guess I'll be the one to tell you the rules," she cast me an evil eye and I sweat dropped. This sounded like something from a movie…

_Can't people be more original these days?_

_Apparently not…_

"First off, my name is Yori Tanaka, and _I _rule the school," she stated proudly, but still looking me over to see if I would react.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, so my face remained blank.

"Are you with me so far?"

"Yes."

Tanaka snickered as she went on. "And since I rule the school, that means _I'm _the best. That-" she pointed back at her group to a black-haired boy that was looking in our direction calmly and coolly, holding up a lazy hand when he was mentioned. And yes, she could be heard from all the way over there. "-is my boyfriend. So don't try anything funny. Stay out of my way, too. Actually, you look ok enough to be one of us if you want."

"One of us?"

"Us as in the most popular, good-looking, and talented out of all the students."

"Uhu…" I was only half-listening to what she was saying. I've heard it all before, and this girl only confirmed my suspicions that this school followed stereotypes.

"If you're _not _going to be one of us, which I highly doubt considering everyone would do anything to get in, then you can just scurry off to the loser corner over there," Tanaka indicated a corner in the room where a girl was looking at her slowly kicking feet from where she sat on the ledge of the window. The boy that pushed passed me was looking out the window with a knee drawn up and the other hanging off, paying no attention to anyone whatsoever.

"I think you should accept my little offer," Tanaka smirked yet again and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You should know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I _never _ask someone I just met to join us!"

"Then why are you asking me?"

She leaned forward and put her elbows up on my desk, grabbed a piece of my hair and started twirling it. "You're kind of pretty. With a little fixing up, you would be almost as beautiful as moi!"

I grabbed the part of my hair she was twirling and tugged it from her grasp, which wasn't hard since it slid out of her hand easily. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Tanaka looked appalled. "W-What? Why?"

"Well, I'm just not into that stuff. Thanks for the offer, though…"

"W-I don't get you. Stop being weird!"

At that moment, I tried so hard not to burst out laughing.

To be honest, I've seen this all before. In the movies, you know? I found it kind of unbelievable that there were _actually _schools like this. It was…hilarious. Not to mention the fact that since I've seen these movies, I know how to deal with these kinds of people. But there was never a movie out where a girl was working undercover for the famous detective, L, trying to solve a case in which a killer was possibly in the same classroom.

So naturally, I didn't know what to do. I was sure that this person wasn't the killer, but even if I show her up in front of the class, what if one of her friends have the Death Note and want revenge? I mean, the killer sounds stupid enough as it is, so it wouldn't surprise me if they killed me over something like that.

"Are you even listening to me?" the girl named Yori Tanaka asked quickly. Woah. And everyone says _I _have mood swings.

It was only until I felt a searing pain through my ear did I realize what she had done.

_First day of school, and there's drama already?_

I yelped when she tore at my left headphone cord, my right one remaining inside my ear since she didn't grab it. I've had my headphones ripped out of my ears before, but…she didn't hold back _at all_!

"Maybe you'll think twice next time before you ignore me!" she declared with a mixture of pride and anger as I held my hand to my probably red ear.

I blinked slowly, anger pulsing through my veins. Despite this, I managed to keep my cool composure and speak my reply in a monotone. "You know, that really hurt…"

"Good! I hope it did! Are you going to listen to me now?"

"I heard you _before _you brutally ripped my headphone out of my ear, thank you very much."

"Well, whatever! That's another thing, too! If I talk to you, you talk back!"

Ok, so she hated me no matter what I did. "So you want me to be a smartass?"

"What? No! That's not what I meant! Oh my god, you're so stupid!"

"Then why are you talking to me, Miss Tanaka?"

The brunette's glare intensified and she looked even angrier than before. "Fine! You wanna play it that way, huh? After school. You. Me. We'll settle it then!" she smiled victoriously at her challenge.

Before I could reply, the teacher walked in. Faster than the human eye could follow everyone magically appeared in their rightful seats. It was like nothing had ever happened. Whether or not Tanaka's one sided argument caught the attention of anyone in the room was beyond me.

"Honoka Morishira. Correct?" he addressed me directly. I merely nodded. "Please remove your headphones so we can start class," a few laughs could be heard around the room as I lazily pulled my right headphone out of my ear and tucked the cord away in my pocket, letting the two headphones hang out of my pocket limply.

The teacher introduced himself to me and the lessons dragged on. Nothing I didn't already know from the notes I had been given.

I walked out into the courtyard, not really caring where I ended up. I sat up against the outside wall and opened my lunch.

_Who knew she _actually _packed me cake?_

_Careful, it could be poisonous!_

_Relax. It's cake._

_Says you!_

Ignoring my inner voice, I grabbed the fork Kaida had given me and slowly ate my cake, savoring every bite, but more because I was observing everyone else too much to pay attention to what I was doing.

That girl named Tanaka was completely ignoring me. She was off with her other 'plastic' friends on the other side of the courtyard. I didn't even think she saw me, which was perfectly fine. In fact, her talking to me was the last thing I wanted. I was working.

I took in each individual as they walked passed me. Nothing seemed suspicious about any of them. I mumbled when I realized that I was halfway through my lunch already.

_This investigation is going to be harder than I thought…_

_What did you think it was? A walk in the park?_

_No…it's just…I was dead set on finding this guy, and I thought-_

_You thought you could solve this case easily, didn't you?_

_Uh…well…_

_As I said before: A walk in the park. _

…_Shut up._

_But I'm right, aren't I?_

_Well-_

"Hey."

I looked up to find my thoughts being interrupted by the brown-haired girl from the 'loser corner'. She had a small, but strong voice and her hair was short; just above the shoulders. The right side was held back by a dark blue clip, which means she was most likely right handed. "Yes?" I questioned, letting my voice swing as an indication to go on.

"My name is Kin Kinjo…and I saw what happened this morning."

_Great, so she _did _attract attention!_

Kinjo seemed to be waiting for me to say something since she paused and looked at me expectantly. I raised an eyebrow. "Ok?"

"Uh, well…I figured you might need someone to help you out, you know…with school stuff…"

My eyebrow remained where it was.

Kinjo looked from side to side quickly, unsure of what to say next. After a moment's pause, she blurted out "You're name's Honoka Morishira, right?"

I waited about three seconds before nodding. "That's correct."

"Um...Do you want to come sit with us?" she pointed over to the pushy kid from earlier and two other kids in the far corner of the courtyard. One boy had huge, rounded glasses and spiky black hair. The other was a blond, his hair a little longer and messier than the pushy kid's to the point where his bangs covered his eyes.

_That's strange…_

_What's strange?_

_There aren't a lot of blond people in Japan…_

_Yeah, so?_

_It's just weird, that's all…_

_Alright, person-who-makes-no-sense…_

_I wonder if he's even from Japan?_

_It's not completely impossible. Maybe he's just one of the lucky ones that have blond hair. _

_Maybe…_

"U-Um…"

I snapped out of my thoughts yet again and turned my head back to Kinjo. "Sure."

The brunette seemed surprised at this, but beamed at me soon after as I gathered up my bento box in one hand and the strawberry cloth in another.

The three boys looked up at us as we made our way to the group. The nerd pushed up his glasses and the blond beamed. The pushy kid just stared with a blank expression.

"Hi, guys! This is Honoka Morishira," Kinjo introduced.

I blinked and found the blonde standing only a few inches away from me with a happy-go-lucky face on. "Hey! The name's Ringo Sasaki! Nice to meetcha! I'm a second year, just like you! I'm in class 2-C!" The boy named Ringo grabbed my hand with the cloth and shook excitedly and…rather violently.

When he finally let go, the glasses kid stepped forward. "Masato Ishida. Third year. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

_Hey looky here! Nerd boy's shorter, but older than the rest! Heh, ironic…_ Great. Now the voice in my head is starting to take over…

I nodded at Ishida and turned to the silent one, waiting for his introduction. He was staring at me intently, scanning me from head to toe. Was he…judging, maybe? Sasaki spoke up. "That's Yoshio Dazai. He doesn't talk too much. Don't let him get to you; he can be a real jerk sometimes."

Dazai's eyes left me and turned to Sasaki, glaring daggers into his skin. The blond seemed to take the hint since he flinched and held up his hands defensively.

"I heard about what happened in your class! Are you really gonna face off with Tanaka after school?"

I looked at Sasaki with dull eyes. "No. I have to go home after school."

"Good! I hear she can get pretty rough."

"Yeah. I found that out within the first five minutes of class."

"I bet that witch is behind all those murders!" Sasaki stated with a determined look on his face.

"Ringo-kun, that's not something you should be talking about now," Kinjo warned.

"What do you mean, behind all those murders? All of the deaths around here were accidents." They looked at me with blank expressions. What? I had to play dumb.

"Well, these deaths are occurring so frequently, that conclusion is hard to believe," Ishida responded in a low voice.

Silence enveloped our group, but Sasaki was the first to speak up. It was in a whisper, but he could still be heard. "That's why tons of students are transferring out. A lot of people say it's dangerous around here. I just can't help but to think that maybe…"

"Maybe what?" I prodded after he paused.

"Do you think maybe Kira-"

"No." This firm and definite reply came from Dazai, surprisingly.

"Yoshio-kun?" Kinjo had a worried expression on her face.

"Kira wouldn't kill the innocent. I won't believe it. No, I _refuse_ to."

I looked him over, analyzing. _A Kira supporter?_

"They've done nothing wrong. They haven't gotten in his way. So why kill them? It's absurd," Dazai's head was slightly down to the point where his hair covered his eyes. His hands were clenched into tight fists. "Whoever is doing this…is a fake."

Gasps were heard from around the group; even I was a little surprised. _Hm…not bad…I guess he looked into this more than anyone else, right?_

_That's right…We've got another smartie on our hands…_

"So you don't think it's Tanaka-san…" Ishida made it more of a statement than a question, but either way, it wasn't given a reply.

Silence. Then…

"Well, whoever it is, there's really nothing we can do about it. We don't know how Kira kills, so it's not like we can solve anything…" Sasaki explained, though hesitantly.

"Sasaki-san is correct. We should obliterate this conversation before it gets out of hand."

Kinjo nodded quickly in agreement.

"So…" I began kind of awkwardly.

"Well, as I was saying before, I don't think showing up later on today wouldn't do anyone any good." Sasaki seemed to be trying his best to shove happiness into his voice.

"Does she really hate me that much?" I asked. The conversation was stored away in my mind along with the other information from today, and I tried to forget about it for now.

Ishida held up a finger. "I would just discount her. Tanaka does that to everyone who she accredits to be more prominent than her."

"Um…"

"He means just ignore her. She's only treating you like that because she thinks you're better than her," Kinjo explained.

"Wow, Kin-chan! You're smart! Even _I _didn't get all of that!" Sasaki said with a smile on his face and in awe as if he had just seen her appear out of thin air.

Kinjo blushed from the praise and dipped her head quickly.

"You don't get _anything_. You fail all of your classes." Sasaki's happy face evaporated and was replaced with a mixture of shock and anger as he turned to Dazai's calm, informing voice.

"I-I do not! I get good marks!"

"Identify one for us, if you will."

"Huh?" Sasaki whipped his head around to Ishida, who was pushing up his glasses, causing the light to reflect off of them dramatically. A smirk was clearly written on his face. "Uh…" Sasaki's eyes darted from side to side. He looked like he was reading some sort of text that nobody could see, trying to find an answer. "English! Yeah, that's it! I do good in English!"

"That's 'I do _well_ in English'," Ishida corrected.

"Eh? Aw, who needs grammar anyway?"

It went on like this for a while. Nobody paid attention to me when I sat down on the ground and brought out my cake, or so I thought. After a few bites of cake, I narrowed my eyes as an uneasy feeling crept through me. I lifted my eyes to find Dazai staring right at me.

His gaze was cold. Calm on the outside, but on the inside, it felt to me like he wanted to stab somebody. I internally shivered. I hoped it wasn't me he wanted to stab.

_This guy gives me the creeps!_

_Do you think he has the Death Note?_

_Not sure…it's a possibility. After seeing how Light can act, I don't know who to believe anymore. It could even be sweet little Kinjo or hyperactive Sasaki._

_Aw come on, don't think like that. They're nice..._

_That's the problem! You can't trust anybody! Do you not remember Light? _

_Why are you always so uptight about people? Give it a rest already and stop comparing these kids to a genius! Look at the _real _possibilities of who could be the Third Kira. _

_I am! Just give me some time, I'll find out who it is…_

_You better hope so._

At that moment, the bell rang. I shut off my inner voice quickly and packed up my bento box, wrapping the cloth around it as it had been before I ever opened it. There was still some cake left, but I just told myself I'd eat it later.

"We should hang out sometime!" Sasaki suggested loudly.

"I agree," Ishida said to me with a smile. "I want to get to know you better."

"I'd like that, too," Kinjo joined in.

"Yoshio-chan can come with us, too!" Sasaki grabbed Dazai's arm and nuzzled his face into it lovingly.

Dazai's eyes narrowed at the suffix and outstretched his arm so quickly I couldn't follow his movements, sending Sasaki to the ground with a thud.

"Alright, alright! Yoshio-chan doesn't have to come!"

Dazai glared at him fiercely and Sasaki seemed to shrink to a third of himself.

I let my inner voice hear my thoughts.

_Come to think of it…they use suffixes in the anime?_

_No, they didn't. It's obvious they didn't with the main characters, but they didn't even use suffixes with the minor characters. _

_Do you think it's another glitch?_

_Most likely._

I stored that information in the back of my mind for later.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts again, but was caught off guard a bit from what I saw. Sasaki was currently yanking at Ishida's hair in anger while the poor smaller boy was on the ground. Sasaki had his foot on Ishida's chest, making sure Ishida got the full effect of the pull. Ishida was holding on tightly to Sasaki's shirt with one hand and trying to beat his arm away with the other. Kinjo wasn't that far away from them. Her hands were parallel with her arms as she moved them up and down in the air, trying to calm them down. She was sweat dropping at the scene, as well as I was. Dazai's eyes were narrowed a bit; wearing one of those 'you've got to be kidding me' looks.

"Does this always happen?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Get used to it," Dazai replied, standing up stiffly and walking to class. His face never changed from its original expression.

"Right. Well, I have to get back to class!" I called at them. The group froze where they were at the sound of my voice and turned their heads. "How about we hang out on Sunday?" That would work. Today was Thursday.

The three of them blinked simultaneously and after a small pause, Sasaki let go of Ishida's hair and pulled back his knee while Ishida grabbed his glasses and rose to his feet, shaking his hair from side to side quickly. This made his hair go from ruffled to spiky as before. How that was possible, I wasn't sure.

"Sounds good to me!" Sasaki smiled brightly.

Ishida cleaned his glasses and put them on his face, tilting them back and forth to get them comfortable. "Well that's study day for me-"

"Study day?" Sasaki exclaimed with dramatic astonishment.

"-but I think I can make an exception. Yes, I'm free."

"I-I'm free, too!" Kinjo quickly appeared at my side and pulled me to the door. "We need to get to get going!" I was surprised at how strong Kinjo was. She was practically dragging me along. Oh. My. God.

I stood outside the building hesitantly. Then I shook my head.

_Tanaka can spend her time waiting for me. _

_Hehe…sneaky, aren't we?_

_No. Just following orders. _I put in my headphones.

_And those were?_

_Go straight from school to Matt's car. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. _

I spun around ditzy like and walked on.

_I wonder what Shai and Kaida are doing right now…_

_Probably wreaking havoc! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_Uh, I don't think so. L's wouldn't let that happen…right?_

_You're asking the wrong voice…_

_Speaking of L, I wonder how much Shai really does remember. You know, like from the series and stuff. _

_She said there were gaps. She didn't say where those gaps were. _

_Usually when you feel gaps in your memory, it's something you know you need for later. She forgot something important, I know she did. That whole incident yesterday was a close call with the universe part, but there's still stuff missing. _

_Yeah. A lot has happened in only a few days…_

_I wonder if that's why the Wammy kids came here._

_Eh?  
_

_For the Aoyama case. Some of those deaths happened before they even showed up. L sent the Wammy boys here to solve the Aoyama case while he works on catching the original Kira, as he'd said before. _

_Is that all?_

_No, I don't think-_

I felt a light tap on my arm. It didn't feel like a hand, more like paper. A huge shadow appeared on the ground where I was standing. I froze in my tracks and almost flipped out.

I knew instantly who it was.

I couldn't turn around and face the shinigami-there were people on this street! I was almost to the car. It was in view, but I wasn't close enough to see what anyone was doing inside.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a huge, skeletal, white hand holding a small ripped piece of paper. I swallowed and started walking again, trying to slow down my racing heartbeat.

"Masako," I heard the haunting voice say from above me. "You are in grave danger."

**Ketsueki: Well, wasn't that entertaining? I wonder who the shinigami was. *hint hint wink wink* **

**Matt: Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.**

**Kin: But if you don't know, th-that's fine…**

**Ketsueki: *sigh* Ok, then… *looks at script* Where are we now? Ah, Dazai! You're supposed to- **

**Sasaki: The author wants to know what you guys think of the new OC characters. Like, who's your favorite out of the four that were introduced and stuff. One or all of them could play a big part later on… *smiles knowingly***

**Mello: *smashes Sasaki's head* Don't give it away, baka!**

**Sasaki: S-Sorry! I'm sorry!**

**Ketsueki: Well, alright then. *looks ahead in script* Next up is- **

**L: *cautiously steps around the two and faces readers* Eternalsnowfox has made some grammatical errors in the past, and found now a good time to revise. Chapter 9 has been revised the most with a completely new paragraph, and the loss of other paragraphs. Skim if you wish.**

**Yoshio: It's not that ****important, though. If you want to see the changes, they're towards the end of the chapter. **

**Ketsueki: Ok, guys…**_**I **_**have the script… **

***crickets***

**Ketsueki: Alright, next we have-**

**Masato: Eternalsnowfox has been working on her summer assignment *pushes up glasses* or so she says. She's going to be working on it tomorrow, I'll be sure of that. **

**Ketsueki: That's it! *shoves papers at Near* I quit! *sprouts wings and flies through ceiling, papers from script flying everywhere***

**Mello: Damn it, you bigheaded twit! You can stack **_**sharpened **_**pencils vertically, but you can't even hold on to a stack of papers?**

**Light: She finished her book, and now all she has to do is write a report and set up a presentation, so the next chapter may have another delay. **

**Near: I had no warning, Mello.**

**Matt: *picks up random paper that happens to be next page* Next chapter is going to be about what Shai and Kaida are doing while Masako is at school. Also, Masako uses the last names of the OCs in this chapter because she doesn't know them well. Next time these guys show up, she'll start using their first names with suffixes, and then maybe later on she'll just use their first names. Maybe.**

**Masato: How much memory Shai had lost may be in the next one as well. **

**Yoshio: I'm surprised. For once, you're speaking English. **

**Masato: I just don't feel like repeating myself, that's all…Morishira-san isn't the only one tired, I need to sleep…Losing…brain cells…fast… *passes out***

**Shai: *peers over Matt's shoulder* Oh, one more thing. **

**Matt: Hm?**

**Shai: Masako wants everyone to know that the Aoyama Gakuin High School in this fanfic is nowhere near associated with the real one. She's just borrowing the name of the school so it'll sound realistic. **

**L: On that note-**

**Mello: I'M GONNA KILL YOU, NEAR!**

**Shai: Finally! REVENGE IS OURS! *joins Mello in chase* **

**Yoshio: *steps over Masato* Review the chapter, tell us what you think.**

**Kaida: See ya in the next chapter!**

**Sasaki: Aaawwww…why are you ending the commentaries today? I wanna do it!**

**Kaida: Too bad! I'M JUST AWESOMER THAN YOU! *smiles sweetly at audience* See ya! ;D **


	25. Apples and Crows

**Me: *whacks Ketsueki with rolled up script* I told you **_**not **_**to flee the stage no matter how bad things got! Do you have **_**any **_**idea how chaotic things got? Not to mention your commentaries were longer than the freakin chapter itself!**

**Ketsueki: They weren't longer than the chapter! They were just-**

**Me: *whacks* I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! Now get off my stage!**

**Ketsueki: Can I come back next chapter?**

**Me: Maybe! But for now, you're BANNED!**

**Ketsueki: Banned?**

**Me: LEAVE! NOW!**

**Ketsueki: *walks off with head bowed in shame***

**Me: HEY all you wonderful people out there! :D This beginning commentary is gonna be a little longer than usual, so pay attention cause there's a few things I wanna say! First off, thank you for your awesome reviews! They made me all happy and stuffs! ^-^**

**Shai: Get on with the chapter.**

**Me: Wait! I'm not finished, yet! Ok, I'm sorry guys! I know I've been gone for like, 21 (22?) days, and I apologize! I finally got this done though! But with the family reunion that I had to prepare for **_**and **_**go to, the IRA assignment (still need to do the presentation when school starts but I'll do that later and I got the writing part done which is the hardest part ok time to stop ranting about it this parentheses bubble is getting big!), getting ready to start school, and a bunch of other stuff that I can't grasp from the top of my tiny head, it was hard to squeeze this in but I'm back (again) and my inspiration for writing is better than ever! :)**

**Sasaki: Come on! I wanna know what happens next!**

**Me: CHILL! Anyway, I've also been wasting time…Hehe *sweatdrop* Well, it's actually not a very long list. I've been watching a lot of Lucky Star, Haruhi Suzumiya, and the super special awesome Death Note Abridged Series on youtube from Team Dattebayo. Not to mention I've looked at recent chapters and noticed that every time I click the next chapter button, the scroll bar gets smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and-**

**Shai: Get the bloody hell on with it!**

**Me: Alright, alright! As I was saying, I'm not quite sure why the scroll bar kept getting smaller, so I eased up on this chapter a bit. OH! By the way! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEAR! *hugs Near***

**Near: ? **

**Me: August 24th! Right?**

**Near: How do **_**you **_**know my birthday? *raises eyebrow***

**Me: …. *crickets* … ANYWAY! Death Note is not mine in any way, shape, or form. I only own Ketsueki and the crows!**

**Shai: *smacks back of head* Hurry up! This commentary is more than a page long!**

**Me: Uh, enjoy the chapter!**

**Kaida: Pay attention in this chapter (don't you always?) or you'll get confused! You know what; just pay attention for all future chapters unless the author says otherwise cause I'm tired of hearing it over and over. **

**Sasaki: I wanna end the commen-**

**Kaida: I DON'T CARE!**

Kaida's POV

The _nerve _of that girl, sometimes.

Who does she think I am? An assassin? Well…it's not that hard to believe, really. But come on! Why would _I _poison Masako's lunch during an important investigation?

I sighed heavily and bit sharply into a mostly eaten shiny red apple, making a loud crunching noise echo throughout the kitchen. It was a good thing Masako wasn't here. She'd yell at me if she saw me curled up in a ball on the counter. What? I can't help it. There're practically no windows in the kitchen. Like, none at all, so the corner counter was the next best place. It was small, in a dark corner, and it was far away from the door. I could survey the room with just a sweep of my gaze, not having to crane my neck in any way, shape, or form.

The lights were turned off so it was fairly dark. There was a large, clear bowl of apples sitting on the counter to my right. Apples that rolled out of the bowl from my poor choices in grabbing from the top remained where they were on the countertop next to me since I was too lazy to even think about putting them back. Once I realized that all that was left of the apple in my hand was the core, I opened the cupboard underneath the left counter and pulled out the trashcan with my foot, my right leg still curled to my chest, and discarded the core. I tilted my head to the side in thought and just decided to leave the trashcan pulled out. I didn't feel like pulling it out and back in again every time I finished an apple. It's not like there was any trash in there anyway; it got emptied every day, regardless of how much was in it.

I absentmindedly grabbed another apple and brought it to my open mouth. I didn't flinch when a padded knocking sound delicately penetrated the air as another apple fell from the bowl and landed onto the countertop. Instead, I narrowed my eyes in suspicion and froze.

I didn't reach for an apple that time.

My eyes flickered to the apple bowl. Nothing was out of the ordinary about it besides the extra apple that fell out. I moved the apple away from my face a bit, shut my mouth, and swept my gaze across the room.

Out of nowhere in particular, a cackle sounded. It echoed throughout the empty kitchen. My gaze hardened when a black hand with long fingers reached out of the wall against the opposite counter, heading towards the apples. On instinct, I threw my apple into my other hand and smacked the black one away.

"Get your own," I mumbled.

The shinigami stuck his head through the wall and stared at me with black irises. "Aw. You're no fun…"

"Finders keepers," I informed, taking a bite into my apple.

"Eeeeh….." Ryuk looked at the apples longingly before fully emerging from the wall, jumping from the counter and landing on the floor with a low grunt. "So you can see me after all, huh?"

"Well, I'm looking straight at you and speaking in your direction…" I licked my lips after my sarcastic reply and continued to devour my apple.

"Can't argue with that," Ryuk let out a 'mmm' while eyeing the apple bowl.

At this, I rolled my eyes. "Just one."

"Ok!" Ryuk dove into the apples and shoved a whole one in his mouth, chewing twice or three times before repeating the process on three more apples in less than ten seconds.

"Hey, I said only one!" My eyebrow twitched with irritation as the shinigami continued to eat.

"Too…late…" I managed to make out through his constant chewing and swallowing.

"What the hell?" I grabbed the bowl and held it close to me, attempting to get it out of Ryuk's reach.

"Sorry. I can't help it. Apples from the human world are so _juicy_. Not to mention I've been deprived from them for a while."

"What, did Light punish you?" I asked in a teasing, babyish tone.

"Hey, don't make fun of me! As pathetic as this sounds, that human is my source of entertainment."

"Yeah, well your 'source of entertainment' lost his memories, you know. So I highly doubt you'll find amusement in chasing someone that ceases to exist, even if it is temporary." I set the apple bowl down on its respectful counter before turning to Ryuk once more.

"What are you talking about? And how do you know Light lost his memories?"

"Although Light is both Light and Kira, they're not the same person. Light is the outgoing, puppy dog eyed, straight A student and in all ways-the perfect kid. Kira is the justice driven, insane, childish, epic murderer. Since Light lost his memories, that Kira part of him no longer exists. He has a little bit of Kira in him, since it _is _him, after all, but on the outside he's just going to play a more realistic performance of the bright, innocent student under supervision of the Task Force. It's not that hard to see the difference between the masked Kira and the real innocent Light. There's a slight change in his personality."

"Eh?"

"He's more…rowdy, I guess is the word. That and extremely defensive when he's accused of being Kira, with there being proof as of last night. Plus, his eyes are slightly brighter when he's in his innocent stage."

"Woah…Ketsueki told me thinking wasn't your thing. Could he have been wrong?"

"I told him I don't _like _to think. I never said that I didn't."

"And to think you knew all of that…" The shinigami made his way to the table in front of me.

"Well, Masako isn't the only observant one, you know. She's just more…open about it than me and Shai, even if she doesn't mean to be."

"I wonder if L noticed these things, too. Aren't you going to tell him?" Ryuk was lying on his side on the tabletop, holding up his head in his hand while his elbow was on the table for support. His right leg lay stretched out with his foot hanging off the table, and the other leg was half curled up. His left arm was drooping over the side that was in front of him and he had the same plastered smile on his face.

My head perked up slightly from my tight ball. "Why would I tell him of all people? He's the one leading the investigation."

"Yeah. That's the point. Aren't you going to do anything to benefit L or perhaps Light in their little chase?"

"Nope."

"Oh?"

"I'm just watching. It won't be fun if I interfere. I mean, I know a lot of information from both sides…Enough to send one of them to their death."

"Wow. So whatever you decide to do with that information will decide their fate, right?"

"That's right," I nodded with my reply and threw the apple core in the trashcan. "But I don't feel like taking part in this" I grabbed an apple from the top of the pile and threw it at Ryuk, who caught it with ease. "so I'm just gonna sit back and watch."

Ryuk laughed a bit insanely before biting into the red fruit. "And that is where you and I are the same. Hehehe…"

"Since Light lost his memories, who did you give the Death Note to?" I asked out of the blue.

Ryuk gave a small shrug and finished off his snack. "I didn't give it to anybody yet. Light said to give it to someone who'll use it selfishly; preferably someone from a mediocre company. Now all I have to do is find that person…Maybe you can help me out," he suggested.

"That sounds like a plan…but I'll only help you if you answer my questions."

"That all depends on the question…" Ryuk said warily.

"How about this…" I gathered up the apples from the countertop and put them in the bowl, uncurling myself and crossing my legs. I set the bowl on my ankles with my hands on it for support. "For every question you answer, I'll give you an apple," I smirked.

Ryuk let out a sound that was between a groan and a sigh. I could already tell what he was thinking: _She interrogates, too? _I mentally laughed at the thought.

"And I don't mean stupid answers like 'yes' or 'no'. I want full detailed answers. If I find your answer truthful and I feel that I have enough information, I'll give you an apple. Do we have a deal?" I asked carefully as to not to leave any loopholes-or at least none that Ryuk could figure out.

The shinigami sat up from the table and crossed his legs as well; putting his hands on his knees and ducking his head a bit so that we were at eye level. "Alright, fine. You got yourself a deal."

"First question…" My mind went into major thinking mode. There were exactly five apples in the bowl. _Five questions, huh? Let's see… _"Rem's Death Notes…Tell me everything you know about their whereabouts."

Ryuk chuckled. "That's not a question."

I narrowed my eyes at his sarcasm. I mean, it was ok if I did it because-well-it was _me_. That should be reason enough. "Fine. Who is in possession of either one of Rem's Death Notes now?"

"As far as I know, Rem."

My thoughts stopped roaming through my mind and I stared blankly at Ryuk. "Wait…so that means that one of Rem's Death Notes isn't in the hands of someone in Aoyama Gakuin High School?"

After a short pause, Ryuk laughed, which made me more wary than I already was. Just what was he thinking, anyway? He had no reason to laugh. "I'm pretty sure that one's false. I haven't heard anything from Rem lately. Actually, I don't really care enough to have anything to do with Rem…That's _two _apples, by the way. Hehehe…"

I blinked in surprise, but then glared down at the bowl in my hands and scowled. _Damn, I need to be more careful about what I say… _I threw Ryuk the promised two fruits subsequently and looked back at the bowl. _Now…what do I ask? Well, I guess that all depends on what I want to know. First of all, Rem still has her Death Note along with Gelus's and Ryuk didn't give his away yet, so how…?_

…_Another shinigami, perhaps?_

"The Death Note in Aoyama…" I began; uncertain as to how I should phrase the question.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Ryuk impatiently. He was eying the apples hungrily with a small glint of who knows what in his eyes. If it wasn't for my rapid and crowded thoughts, I would've figured out what emotion that glint held.

"Who has it?"

Ryuk let out a sigh. "A human by the name of-"

"Kaida!" My eyes narrowed when the door to the kitchen swung open and Matsuda walked in.

I gritted my teeth, which were slowly aching due to the pressure. I glared at the shinigami. _His timing couldn't have been better for you, you lucky bastard! _Was my thought out reply from Matsuda's intrusion, but I kept my mouth shut since it didn't seem like the smartest thing to say when the police officer couldn't even see the shadowed figure on the table.

"What?" I managed to force out. My reply sounded harsher than I expected, but it'll have to do for now. _I'll just have to talk to Ryuk later…but will I have apples to bribe him with?_

"Why is it so dark in here?" Matsuda questioned curiously.

"Cause I like the dark. Got a problem?" My sarcastic act kicked in considering the fact that I was pissed. I was so close to getting answers. I knew I shouldn't be mad at Matsuda, and I wasn't. I was just mad at the fact that he came in when he did.

"Uh, no! I was just curious, that's all!" Matsuda exclaimed fearfully, but then laughed nervously; scratching the back of his head and apparently caught off guard by my attitude.

After a few seconds, I realized I was acting like a jerk again and made my reply slightly softer than the last. "What do you want?"

"I'm going out for a while to run some errands with Aizawa, and I figured you might want to come along with us."

I raised my eyebrow at this. Matsuda and Aizawa? I didn't think so.

"I-I mean, you said you needed more apples, and since we're going in that direction-"

"Fine," was my reply as I placed the clear bowl next to me and slid off the counter. _Well, it can't be that bad. I need more apples to bribe Ryuk with anyway. _

Shai's POV

_Die, die, die, NO! Die, die, die, die, die, SHIT! Die, die, die-HA! TAKE THAT! Die, die, die-_

"YES! HIGH SCORE!" I went from sitting to standing on the chair with my fist in the air and a victorious, crazy grin on my face. My eyes were looking to the ceiling proudly as if the light was shining down upon my success. My DS hung limply from my left hand, the screen flashing bright multicolored lights with my 5,363,550 score. A.K.A.: Number one on the board.

I felt a finger prod my side and I squeaked, falling from the couch and crashing to the cold, tiled floor.

Looking up, I glared at Kaida who currently had her finger lazily outstretched and her eyebrow raised. "Calm down, you're gonna hurt yourself. Or at least, give _me _an opportunity to do it. Think of this as a warning for future references," she smirked at my angry expression.

"Can you guys go somewhere else? We were having an important discussion about the case!" Aizawa informed us hotly.

Within the half an hour after Masako left, L and I had moved to the computer room a few floors below the conference room so he could survey the monitors. Thankfully, Near stayed where he was, continuing to build his stupid card tower. The Task Force had already arrived, except for Matsuda. I guess he stayed here all night monitoring Misa since he had no where else to go. Not to mention the fact that he slept through most of the day yesterday anyway; and between Soichiro and L waking the dense yet innocent police officer up every five minutes to Kaida and Mello's conversations, I took it upon myself to confine myself in my room for the rest of the day. With all that going on, I had a headache again, so it was hard to focus on my game.

"Oh, really?" I rose from the floor and dusted myself off. "I'm sorry; I wasn't paying attention. Find anything important?" I turned off my DS and snapped it shut since it saved automatically after I received my score and slipped the device in one of the many pockets of my pants.

"There have been a significant number of killings in the United States," Soichiro explained solemnly.

I paused. _Whose Death Note could that be…? _"All criminals?" I asked with a serious face.

When Soichiro nodded in confirmation, I made a quick attempt to organize my thoughts. _Is it another mindless idiot with a Death Note? No, it couldn't be…I have mine, but of course Rem took hers back and so did Ryuk, but do they still have their Death Notes on them or did they give them to someone else? Maybe-_

"Ryuzaki, what do you make of this?" Soichiro asked curiously, turning his head to see the said detective in his usual crouch on a chair. L was hunched over his laptop - no surprise there - with a small plate of strawberry shortcake to his left and some coffee on his right.

L made a 'hm' noise and balanced his fork between his two index fingers. "I would like to hear Shai's deduction on this matter, if it's alright with her," L turned his wide eyed gaze to me expectantly and I nearly jumped at the mention of my name.

_I was never asked to help before…If I give my real deduction, I could be putting Light in danger. If I say anything but my deduction, L will know that I'm either lying to protect Kira or just plain stupid since his mind is sharper than mine and he's probably thought of all the possibilities by now. If that's the case, then I really don't have a choice, here – that is, if I want to keep up my anit-kira mask. Come to think of it, L's never asked me if I was for or against Kira, so would it be alright to say I was for Kira? I mean, I _did _literally drop in on them so I had to stay with the Task Force no matter what, so it wouldn't matter, would it? It's apparent that L doesn't trust me. That's expected, though, because he didn't know me very well and still doesn't; not to mention the fact that he doesn't trust anyone so I really had no hope to begin with. _

My fingers tapped inside the pockets of my zip up normal-material black jacket. I remembered that I had borrowed it from Kaida, who since then never reminded me to give it back. She did have more, after all. Plus, Kaida was just awesome like that. So I figured the jacket was mine now.

After taking a silent and unnoticeable (to all but L) deep breath, I stated my thoughts to the three greatest detectives in the anime world. "It could just be a coincidence that Kira is killing in America more than any other place…Perhaps maybe there are more criminals there or maybe he's trying to send us a message of some sort. It wouldn't be surprising since he appears to have a desire to mock you, but I'm not entirely sure if this is the real Kira. It could be someone who has a Death Note – that is, if it truly has the power to kill – like Kira who is trying to protect this global icon by making the police think that he's now in America," I reran everything I had just said and mentally nodded._ I think that's all. Now that I mention it, how much did L analyze the Death Note before it mysteriously disappeared (cough, cough, REM, cough, cough)? It makes me wonder how much he really knows. He probably examined it thoroughly in the short time he had it…I wouldn't put that passed me. But you can never be too sure…_

L blinked owl-like and turned his gaze to his monitor. "Hm…That's an interesting thought – someone else protecting Kira – and it would not be too surprising." He set his fork down on his now empty plate and chewed on his thumbnail in thought. I blinked, a little confused. I didn't even see him eat his cake. Perhaps I was just too distracted with my deduction to see him eat it? Or maybe I imagined that the cake was there before. I wasn't sure, but I could've sworn that there was some strawberry shortcake there a second ago.

"But Ryuzaki, what if it's just Kira messing with our heads?" Aizawa asked with his arms outstretched in a kind of shrug gesture.

A few moments later, L turned his head to me while offering a response to Aizawa with his thumb resting on his lower lip. "I disagree. I do not believe Kira would pull such an insignificant play."

"I guess that's true. I mean, Kira's already aware of the fact that we know he's in Japan; he wouldn't try to change our minds now, would he?" Matsuda said from behind Kaida. He looked a little tired, but it took a sharp eye to see it. _As energetic as always, I see._

"Unless Kira's desperate," Soichiro included, his gaze moving from L to Matsuda.

"It _could _be the Second Kira," Kaida threw in. I barely detected the lie in her voice since she's such a good liar, but I knew her well enough to figure it out and I wouldn't dare mention it to anyone, nor would I have a desire to do so.

"Maybe. Either that, or it's probably just a coincidence," Aizawa nodded definitely at his answer.

"No…" L said with a slight sigh in his voice. He continued to stare at me with those cold, empty though calculating eyes, even though he was addressing everyone else. "The numbers of killings in America are too high to be passed off as a coincidence. We cannot dismiss any change in the enemy's behavior." He turned his head back in front of him to stare at his computer screen again which made me mentally breathe a sigh of relief.

"So what do you think this means, then?" asked Aizawa, his temper starting to rise.

L made another 'hm' noise as his eyes traveled down from the monitor to his empty plate. "I don't know what to think anymore…"

Well that was a surprise. I believe that only once or twice in the series has L ever _admitted_ that he was stumped. I could practically see the gears turn in the detective's head as he chewed on his thumbnail again. Aizawa looked rather frustrated as always and gritted his teeth.

Taking advantage of the silence, I focused on trying to figure out what was going on.

_I wonder when Light's going to decide to kill him...Maybe he'll have Rem do it for him again…I'm going to have to give him that idea later; that gets rid of Rem. Of course it's not necessary since I already know L's name, but-_

Wait.

I repeated the words slowly in my head.

_Of course it's not necessary since I already know L's name…_

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_I already know L's name…_

_L's name…_

_His real name…_

I had to suppress the urge to widen my eyes in shock.

_Damn it, what was his name?_

My fingers were tapping inside my jacket furiously. I couldn't think straight with all these people around.

_I'm just living off stress. That's right…stress. That's why I can't remember his name. I know Near's is-_

That wouldn't work.

_Ok, Matt's name..._

Nothing.

_Mello's? _Surprisingly, I remembered his name. _Mihael Keehl…Well, at least I'm not completely stressed or stupid. I can get this…the other names will come to me eventually. I'll just sleep on it…I hope to Kira that I can remember at least Near's name. I could get rid of him a hell of a lot quicker than originally planned. Of course, I don't have a plan, but I'm working on it…I remember Masako saying something about Near using some of the letters from his real name to make his alias, but I just can't…_

I couldn't think straight.

Kaida's POV

_Another Death Note? Who else has a freaking Death Note now? You know, it would really help to write all this down…but I can't because it might fall into the hands of someone else. So Rem has both of her Death Notes, Shai has hers…but that means…Ryuk is the only one left! That's why he was laughing before!_

_The Aoyama Death Note…it's one of Ryuk's! It has to be! Unless there's another Death Note that I'm unaware of, it's gotta be his! That explains why he knew the human's name._

I reminded myself to scold the shinigami later for making me go through so much trouble.

"Kaida, if you're coming then let's go," Aizawa huffed, apparently still frustrated with the detective's lack of knowledge.

Its black beady eyes stared back at me from its stand on the sidewalk. We were only two feet away from each other, each of us staring at the other with the same intensity. It seemed resolute upon winning the staring contest, but then again, so was I.

"What are you doing?" Matsuda asked from behind me.

As soon as Matsuda stepped up and began speaking, the crow spread its wings and shot through the air, flying away. My eyes followed it out into the distance. _We'll call it a draw. _

"Kaida?" I looked up at Matsuda's confused expression. Well, you'd give me an odd expression too if you saw me in an L crouch on a sidewalk with very few people walking along its path. I took my hands off of my knees and raised myself off the ground; throwing my arms into the air and stretching. I had already gotten my apples, which Matsuda was kind enough to carry for me. Aizawa had abandoned us for an hour or two for who knows what reason which meant Matsuda and I were alone.

Surprisingly, it wasn't much trouble traveling to Shibuya. Matsuda kept his hands off of everything in the car and was quiet for once, and if he said something stupid, Aizawa would scold him harshly and that would be the end of it.

"Alright, so now what?" I asked nonchalantly, letting my gaze wander around my surroundings.

"Oh, um…Well, we still have about 45 minutes left…"

"Ok…" I prodded on. I was now staring him down, waiting for his answer.

"Uh, well maybe we could…uh…go shopping to pass the time?" Matsuda laughed nervously under my gaze and I mentally smiled at the power I had over the poor police officer.

"Shopping? That all depends on what we're shopping for…" I scrunched up my mouth and moved it to the right side of my face to show that I was thinking. Coming up with nothing, my eyes scanned the stores around me. _Just where the hell can Aizawa go for an hour? Especially if it's so important that he has to leave us behind! Well, whatever it was, it couldn't have waited long enough for me to buy my apples. _

It made me wonder what would've happened if I hadn't come along. Would Matsuda have gone with Aizawa to wherever he was going? I shook my head. _Probably. If I hadn't come along, Matsuda wouldn't have had to buy apples with me. I guess that makes sense. _I nodded at my statement and turned back to Matsuda, who seemed confused about something.

"What's on your mind?" I asked him.

"Huh?" Matsuda's head perked up at my questioning. I mentally laughed. _He reminds me of a puppy! _

"I said what's on your mind?"

"Oh…Nothing important."

I raised my eyebrow at this. "Oh, really?"

He nodded quickly. "Really."

"Hm." I gave him a 'you're hiding something' look and scanned the stores again. _Matsuda usually isn't this jumpy. I know he's hiding something…he's just gotta be. I mean, look at him! _Matsuda was now nervously rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand and scanning the area like he was afraid something was going to jump out at him at any given second.

"Hey, where's the graveyard in this town?" I asked casually.

"G-Graveyard?"

I turned questioningly at Matsuda's confusion filled voice. "Yeeeeaaaaaahhh? Why? Do you have a problem with cemeteries?"

"No! It's not that at all! I just don't see why you'd want to go there…" his expression changed to sympathy and a little fear that he had said the wrong thing. "Unless someone close to you died, then I'll understand…" He looked at the ground in shame. "I mean, it really is tough…losing someone by the hands of death. I wouldn't want to go through something like that anytime soon!" He pulled a fake laugh out of nowhere, trying to lighten the so-called depressing atmosphere.

I blinked before smiling mischievously. "Nah, I just want to go cause it's spooky." Matsuda nearly face planted at my response and I pointed in a random direction. "I say it's this way!"

"How do you know it's _that _way?" The police officer moved his head closer to me and looked in the direction I was pointing; curious as to how I approached my decision.

"Cause that's what the big map says!" My finger then moved to the huge map in a store window right next to us. All we had to do was walk down this road and make a few lefts, then rights, then boom! We're there.

"Oh…It looks so far away, though."

"Come on, it's not that far. It's only, like, three inches on the town map."

"Did you look at the scale?"

I narrowed my eyes and took a step closer to the map beside Matsuda. I had my contacts on, so it was easy to see from where he was standing. I put an annoyed face on when the scale turned out to be every two inches equaling one mile. "Shit…How big _is _this town, anyway?" I hissed under my breath. "Well, we have an hour to get there and an hour to get back so let's go," I grabbed his arm and dragged him through the streets, all the while thinking it wouldn't be that bad.

"Kaida, are you _sure _we're going the right way?"

Ok. Let's get this straight. When it comes to regular streets, my sense of direction is pretty good. But when it comes to crowds and crowds of people to the point of not seeing the next intersection, it sucks. _I guess my urge for graveyards is stronger than my common sense… _I thought wearily.

"J-Just give me a minute, Matsuda! I'm positive it's this way!"

Well, that was a big lie.

"But we already went this way before; I'm sure of it!"

We stopped to catch our (my) breath since we've been rushing around for quite some time now. My hands were on my knees and I was panting heavily, squinting to adjust to the light of the sun.

"Matsuda! Who's the navigator?"

"We don't have a ma-"

"_Who's _the navigator?" I repeated with my teeth clenched, trying to cool off my temper.

"You are…" Matsuda mumbled in a very low voice.

"Right. And who wanted to go to the cemetery in the first place?"

"You did…"

"That's also right. Now stop asking questions and let's go this way!"

After walking for another five minutes, I nearly exploded. "Damn it! I'M NOT BUILT FOR THIS!" I whipped my head around at Matsuda who was behind me, the heavy bag of apples slung over his shoulder and he looked completely at ease. His gaze was taking in his surroundings, not paying attention to anything in particular. "How can you not be tired?" I nearly screamed at him.

He flinched when he realized I had addressed him and he looked to me startled. "I-I'm a police officer, so-"

"STOP BRAGGING!" I snapped.

"Sorry!" Matsuda shouted back with fear.

"That's right! BE AFRAID!" I hissed violently as I swung my head around to face forward.

There's this thing that runs in the family. It's called the Jersey Temper. Why is it called this? Well, my family (including me) is from Jersey. Our tempers are so great; they have a name for it. That should be enough to scare the living daylights out of anybody; trust me. I manage to scare Masako sometimes, but then again, anything can tip her off.

And right now, I was pretty mad.

I heard a ring tone split the air. I also heard a shuffling noise as we continued walking and it went on for a few more seconds. "Answer your damn phone!" I shouted behind me.

"Yeah, I got it," Behind me, Matsuda fumbled frantically inside his jacket and finally pulled out his cell phone, pushing a button and quickly holding it to his ear.

"Oh, hey Aizawa! … Yeah, we're somewhere near the Yanaka Elementary School. … Yeah … Oh…you did. … Alright. … Ok. … Uh, understood." Matsuda closed the phone and stared at it disbelievingly, then shoved it in his jacket.

"Well?" I asked impatiently.

Matsuda flinched again under my glare and rushed to explain. "Well, Aizawa kind of…uh…"

"Kind of what?" I prodded on.

"He…forgot about us," Matsuda laughed nervously.

"He…_what_?" My fists clenched as well as my teeth. After letting out a yell of frustration, I spun sharply on my heel and stomped off in a random direction.

"Hey, wait!" he rushed to catch up with me. "We need to wait for Aizawa to come get us! He's on his way now! Isn't that great news?"

I stopped abruptly and turned back once more to glare daggers at him. The victim sweat dropped and took a step back. "We…didn't…come…all…this…way…for…_nothing_!" I growled dangerously at him.

"O-Ok…" he said shakily. I nodded and continued to stomp on.

"Hey, Kaida! Look!" Matsuda pointed frantically ahead of us.

My face visibly brightened up. "A cemetery!" I raced away to the entrance.

Matsuda sighed with relief that they had finally found the place they were looking for, but then furrowed his eyebrows at the hot tempered girl; trying not to think about how the words that were said and _how _they were said sent a creepy shiver down his spine.

When I had finally made my way to the tombstones, I put my hands on my hips with a huge smile on my face and took a deep breath. "Finally," I whispered as the wind whipped at my curls. I made my way over to a large tombstone and looked at the name. "Nori Ogato." I shrugged and leaned against the back of it with my hands in my jacket pockets. "Nice day out, huh, Ogato-san?" I asked the stone.

_I'm finally here. Mission accomplished! _

My eyes wandered around the cemetery until I felt an odd feeling rest within me. I blinked a few times before looking straight ahead. A crow had perched up a tall tombstone and stared at me with chilling eyes. I stared back, though silently a little freaked out.

In the real world, crows would stare at me all the time. They wake me up in the morning, they fly past me when I was outside, and they're always staring at me from across streets and stuff. It's really creeping me out!

My mom said I was like a crow because I love shiny things like they do. I looked it up online – apparently, the crow is my spirit animal. I mean, sure. They're popular around Pennsylvania, but do they really have to stare at me like that? I'll be walking down the street with either Masako or Shai, and they'll stare at me constantly. It's unnerving, but I kind of got used to it. And in the anime world, the staring felt…it's just…different. I couldn't explain it, really. It's not just the feeling of being watched, though – I can tell you that.

"What?" I asked the crow irritably.

It ruffled its feathers and dipped its head. I growled impatiently and pushed myself off the tombstone while taking my hands out of my pockets, still staring at the crow. As an experiment, I slowly stepped forward.

The crow didn't move, so I took my other foot and repeated the previous movement. Before I knew it, I was standing about two feet away from the small black bird.

"What?" I repeated quietly. I expected this to scare it away, but strangely, the crow stayed put.

_Come to think of it…don't crows have some sort of connection with death? Or is that ravens? I read something about there being myths on crows and ravens…and how they bring a warning for death…or something…maybe that was ravens I was reading. Oh, I don't know! I know that crows _eat _the dead, but a special connection? Could this have something to do with my spiritual connection being enhanced? Or is this crow just crazy like that?_

Out of nowhere, another crow dipped down from the sky and flew only a few inches past my face, making me gasp and stumble back. The offending crow landed a few feet away on another tombstone to my left, staring at me like the first crow did.

_What the hell is going on, here? _

Not far from me, I spotted a third crow on another tombstone to my right. "Huh?"

I felt a light tap on my shoulder and I turned my head to find myself face to face with none other than a crow. It was perched on my left shoulder, staring at me a little harder than the others.

"Hey…you're that sidewalk crow!" I said in a whispered tone. Don't ask me how I knew it was the same one. I didn't know myself.

The crow shifted its wings in response to my statement.

In an act of desperation, I asked out of the blue, "Can you understand me?" I knew that crows as well as ravens were highly intelligent birds, but I didn't think they understood human language.

The crow on my shoulder opened its mouth and snapped it shut, making a…gurgling sound?

_It's not purring, is it? _Crows don't purr…I guess they could try to, but really? Well, things were weird enough as it was, so there was no use dwelling on it. Now that I get a close look, the crow was a little smaller than the rest, and from looking at crows so often, I could tell that it was a young female.

Yet another crow flew over my head, but it dropped something. The item fell in my hands, and I stared at it with disbelief. _An apple? _

"You've been following me, haven't you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. As crazy as it sounds, how else would it know that I like apples?

The crow opened her mouth and snapped it shut again, producing a small clicking noise. She lowered her head a bit and raised it up again. _Was that…a nod? _

I'd have to confront a shinigami about this later.

"Ok, so what do you want?" I asked with a little curiosity in my voice. The crow stayed silent for once. _Maybe it really can't understand me…_

"Kaida! Come on!" That was Aizawa's voice. Since Ogato's tombstone was in the way, I doubted that they saw me. Well, there was a pretty good chance they _did _see me, but I was too absorbed in this whole situation to take notice.

The crow on my shoulder shifted and ruffled her feathers. _Time for the test. _"Ok. Listen up, you guys…" _Now I'll know for sure if these guys can actually understand me or not. I can't believe I'm doing this… _

After discussing the conditions, none of them moved.

"Kaida!"

"Alright, then. I guess I'll be seein ya." When I turned to the right and took a step, the crow on my shoulder spread her wings and flew into the sky, the other crows following in suit. _So what, she's the leader or something? Is that normal for crows? _I reminded myself to research crow behavior later.

Weaving my way through tombstones and flowers, I managed to make it to the police officers. Aizawa looked a little frustrated and Matsuda had a look of awe on his face. He seemed to be in a trance of some sort, and it made me wonder if he saw any of what had just occurred.

"I told you guys to wait for me by the Elementary School! We've been waiting for you for five minutes! It's time to get going," Aizawa explained.

"Five minutes? Last I checked, you're the one that _forgot _about us. We were wandering around for _hours_. And here you are pitching a hissy fit over _five minutes_. What _nerve_," I made sure to say the last word in my low chipmunk voice for emphasis.

"Uh – well," Aizawa stuttered. Gotcha there…

Matsuda eyed the apple in my hand, but didn't say anything. _Huh. Knowing him, he would've asked about it…you wouldn't walk into a graveyard with nothing and come out with an apple, now would you? Guess he saw what happened…Did he hear the plan?_

When Matsuda's gaze met mine, he quickly looked away and made his way to Aizawa's car.

I narrowed my eyes at the slowly retreating figure. _I'm onto you, Matsuda…I'm onto you…_

**Me: Sorry guys, but I have to stop there. I feel kind of bad for Matsu in this chapter… *sigh* Well as you've noticed, the first half of this chapter is important, and the second half is a filler. What is Kaida's plan? What's up with crows? Will Kaida finish her questioning with Ryuk? Is it really Ryuk's Death Note that's in Aoyama? Where is Ketsueki during all of this? Did Matsuda really see the crow incident? And what about little old me? WHY AM I IN DANGER? What else did Shai forget? **

**Tanaka: Will you ever shut up?**

**Me: WHO THE HELL LET **_**HER **_**ON SET?**

**Tanaka: I can't help it if I'm fabulous!**

**Me: KETSUEKI! I'll cancel your restraining order if you get her out of here!**

**Ketsueki: *appears out of shadows* Really?**

**Me: *nods***

**Ketsueki: Alright! Consider it done!**

**Tanaka: W-What? Hey! Get your creepy claws off me! PERVERT! RAPE! RAPE!**

**Me: -_-" Dramaqueen…Anyway, a final happy birthday to my favorite pillow, Near-kun! *hugs Near***

**Kaida: Pillow?**

**Shai: *raises eyebrow* Kun?**

**Near: Again, how do you know when my birthday is?**

**Me: ANYWAY! I'm gonna go think of new ideas for the next chapter and enjoy this cherry slushie!**

**Ketsueki: Cherry?**

**Kaida: Something completely and totally random: I'M SO COOL IN THIS CHAPTER!**

**Me: **_**Someone **_**has a big head. **

**Kaida: I do **_**not **_**have a big head!**

**Aizawa: *mutters* We had to grease it just to get it in the car…**

**Kaida: What was that?**

**Aizawa: N-Nothing…**


	26. Values of Trust

**Long delay. I know. School started, though, so I have yet another excuse. **

**Before I forget, I was reserving a special thanks for whoever gave the 100th review. You remember Kaida, right? And how she's always saying that she's awesome and stuff? Well…she's the one that gave me the 100th review. Thanks, Willowofthemoons! :D Though…it is kind of scary how I was always thinking: she's gonna give me the 100th review, I just know it… I guess this is proof at just how awesome she is since she did it by accident. -_-" **

**Anyway…**

**This chapter is extremely non-important and crappy to the utmost extreme, and I can't believe I'm putting this up. My writing ability has been…sick since I was distracted from school work and such, and I was stupid enough to write when I'm not at my best. Anyway, since this chapter is an inexplicably boring filler, I'm going to give you guys a double update. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. **

"You are in grave danger."

I furrowed my eyebrows at the statement. We were now closing in on the car, each step hesitant and tense. I was paying more attention to the huge shadow hovering over me than where my feet were actually taking me.

"I am aware that you cannot talk to me right now. Please meet me tonight at twelve at the Aoyama cemetery. Bring no one but your being and let no one know where you have gone."

When I approached the car, I opened the back door and climbed in while taking off my headphones. Once I shut the door, my eyes traveled to Matt, who was looking at me expectantly. I nodded for him to drive. As soon as he turned around, my eyes flickered to the shinigami hovering just outside my window.

The bony structure, the bat-like wings, the black eye patch, the purple lips, and the urgency that rested in her eyes never left my mind as we drove away.

"Did you find any clues?" Mello asked, staring straight ahead as we reached the end of the street.

"No." My answer sounded more quick and tense than I intended it to be. I guess it had something to do with the fact that I had just been told that I was in danger by a shinigami that literally came out of nowhere.

After hearing the discomfort in my voice, Mello turned around to face me. "Are you sure?"

I quirked a brow at his question. "Are you calling me a liar?" I forced in his direction. My voice shook a bit. I didn't really have a lot of time to contemplate what exactly endangered me, and I was rather irritated that Mello caught on to my mood so quickly and then pinpointed the fact that I was lying.

"I'm not calling you anything," he continued, staring at me intently. "If you know something that will help us in this investigation, you _need _to let us know." His voice took on a patient tone, but his eyes said differently since he was glaring at me.

_Wow…uh…he's really IS kind of scary… _I unintentionally pressed myself against the side of the car. Needless to say no matter where I moved, he kept his glare.

A voice that came through the speakers of the car made me slightly jump away. "Mello, do not frighten her. She is needed on this case and we can't afford to lose her." I scrunched up my nose when I heard Near's voice.

"He's right, Mello. Besides, if she knows anything, I'm sure she'll tell. She's as dedicated to catching Kira as L is to candy. Right, Masako?"

"Uh, yes! Of course!" I mentally sighed with relief at my escape and reminded myself to thank Matt later. Near, on the other hand, was just as suspicious as Mello if not more, I was sure. Whether Matt was suspicious at all was unknown to me.

I furrowed my eyebrows and leaned forward in my seat, putting my elbows on the tops of the two seats in front of me. In those few seconds, Mello had turned around with a huff and faced forward, not uttering a word. My fingers intertwined with each other on which I propped my chin, thinking for a bit.

I took a deep breath and tried to forget about what Rem said. If I was in danger, didn't that mean that Kaida and Shai were in danger as well? Unless it had something to do with the Third Kira; that would be more likely. Seeing Rem had made me surer of myself. It was _her _Death Note that was in Aoyama. I wouldn't get the answers I was looking for until hopefully that night, so I decided to distract myself for the time being so I didn't go insane with fear like the psychos you see on TV. "So are we there, yet?" I asked in an annoying and whining tone.

"You're not gonna do that all the way to headquarters, are you?"

I let out a low laugh at Matt's response. "That all depends…"

"On…?"

"Whether Mello's gonna share some of his chocolate with me or not." I smiled cheekily as I looked at the chocoholic.

"No," was his flat-out, definite response.

I sighed heavily. A few seconds later, I sighed louder. After another pause, I spoke. "Are we there, yet?"

They both let out sighs in annoyance and Matt rolled his eyes, his head following a bit of the movement.

This went on for the rest of the ride; between Mello snapping at me and Matt's constant finger tapping on his steering wheel, I was amused. Not even annoying my friends could compare to annoying these guys. You'd think they'd be smart enough to just ignore me and hope that I stop so I wouldn't bother them anymore, but they probably know that I'd bug them whether they ignored me or not.

When we arrived at headquarters, neither one of them hesitated before getting out of the car. I grinned in satisfaction and opened the door, climbing out onto the concrete and making my way to the elevator behind the two now thoroughly annoyed geniuses.

…

"_Please_ don't make me go again!"

"Matsuda, it couldn't have been that bad."

"She scared me!" Matsuda caught Kaida's glare from across the room, him being the only one that noticed. "And she still does! Please don't make me go!" He looked like he was about ready to drop down on his knees and continue his begging.

L gave a small sigh and rolled his eyes. His eyes focused on a random spot on the ceiling with his head in his left hand and his elbow on his knee, looking extremely bored. We were currently in the conference room – we as in everyone but Near and Shai. The Task Force was sitting on chairs and sofas that were circled around a table of sweets and the rest were scattered throughout the room, leaning against chairs or standing against walls.

We had just entered the room when Matsuda started complaining. About what, I wasn't sure. But the look Kaida kept giving him made me almost certain that she did something to make him fear for his life. It made me wonder what stupid thing Matsuda did now.

After Mello had stormed into the room, still irritated by my badgering during the ride, he sat down in an armchair with a huff, whipping out a chocolate bar and snapping off a piece of it quite angrily. He made it more dramatic than it needed to be – this _was _Mello we were talking about. Matt followed, only a little more calm, but still irritated. He took a seat on one of the sofas next to Matsuda, who was casting a distraught and panicked look in L's direction.

L, completely ignoring Matsuda, twirled his fork to where the tips were lightly tapping the empty plate on the table using his free hand. "Mello, did you find any information regarding the Third Kira?" he asked in his monotone. He seemed more tired than usual and it looked like he was about to fall asleep in his hand, though I knew this wasn't the case.

Mello hesitated a bit before responding. "Nothing."

L raised his head out of his hands and grabbed another plate of cake. His eyes seemed to get wider as he shoved some in his mouth. "I see…" he said with a full mouth. He was staring at his cake and giving it an almost depressed look.

I yawned loudly, rather annoyed, and walked behind the sofa across from Matt, scratching the back of my head. When I reached it, I grabbed the back with one hand and raised my foot to touch the back, leaping over the back cushions and landing in a crouch on the other side. The Task Force members stared with their mouths agape at my behavior. Kaida didn't look all that surprised as well as L, who continued to shovel cake into his mouth. The detective was staring at me intently as if studying me, while everyone else (besides Kaida) was in complete shock.

I extended my arm to grab a plate of some yummy chocolate cake on the table.

"Masako! Act appropriately when you're wearing a skirt!" Soichiro scolded.

With my eyes half-closed I poked my cake thoughtfully. Half of my mind was debating on which part to eat first, the other half trying to find some sort of clue that would lead me to the Third Kira. I went through conversation after conversation within a matter of a few seconds.

Ignoring Soichiro, I opened my mouth and began to indulge in my cake. My eyes moved to L, looking him directly in the eye. "I found _no _clues. I'm not hiding anything, and even if I was, I'm sure at least one of you_ geniuses _could point it out." I shoved more cake into my mouth, not even bothering to swallow before I continued. "I'm just as clueless as you are."

There was silence in the room. After a few moments, I looked back at L, who was looking at me in turn. He seemed to be expecting more, so I decided that I may as well point out my observations. I looked over to number two at Wammy's. He looked up from nibbling his chocolate and froze, expecting me to say something since I was looking at him.

"You know, it gets really irritating when people exchange information that I shouldn't know right in front of my face while thinking that I'm stupid enough not to notice."

"I didn't exchange any-"

"You paused before you offered a reply to Ryuzaki's question, and I'm sure he understood what you _really _implied." I narrowed my eyes, but continued to eat my cake. "You don't trust me, do you?" My eyes then zoned in on Mello, about ready to analyze his reaction.

All he did was hesitate again. Before he could reply, though, I cut him off.

"Exactly."

"Wha-"

"You hesitated – debating on what your answer should be. If you say no, you're not so sure of the consequences. If you say yes, I'll know you're lying…" I made a 'haom' sound as more cake went into my mouth.

"I wasn't thinking that!"

"Now you're irritated because I was right and you have no rebuttal."

"If I wasn't irritated before, I am now!"

"Yes, I see that."

"Just shut up!"

"But what about my cake…?"

"Just eat your damn cake!"

"I already am."

"Fuck this, I'm out of here!" Mello slammed his hands down on the arms of the chair and used the momentum to push him off. With one last huff, he stomped out of the room.

Looking at my cake dully, I shoved more than I needed into my mouth. "That went well," I concluded with my mouth still full. After I swallowed, my eyes bulged and my lips pulled into a pout. "Aw! Why doesn't anyone yell at _him _when _he _swears?"

"I wouldn't upset Mello that much if I were you. I think his looks can really kill." Glad to see I was being ignored.

"Matsuda's right – for once…" Aizawa agreed.

"Hey! Are you calling me stupid?"

"Mello isn't to be toyed with. We need him for this investigation, and if you push him any further, he just might even leave," Light warned about halfway through Matsuda's question while completely ignoring him.

"No, he wouldn't leave," L threw in. Everyone turned to stare at him as he continued. "Mello is devoted to this case, regardless of who is working with him. If I tell him to do something, he'll do it."

"Are you sure, Ryuzaki?"

"Mr. Aizawa, I believe that my statement is more logical and likely to happen than yours. He is _my _successor, after all," the genius detective pointed out.

Aizawa gave the slightest of cringes and glared at L.

"Did you find anything else on Kira?" I asked no one in particular.

"Unfortunately, no," Soichiro responded.

"I see…" I let my voice trail off and got lost in my thoughts. This only happened for about a few seconds before I remembered what I had to do. Both tasks, actually.

I stood from my crouch from the couch and jumped off, landing gracefully (believe it or not) on the floor. I set my empty plate down and made my way up to my room, where I dressed into some comfy blue pajamas and threw some ice into a cup.

Popping an ice cube into my mouth, I stood in the elevator debating on which floor Near's room might be on. After a few tries, I finally came to a white room.

_Predictable. _

I stepped inside cautiously and looked around. The walls were a blank white and the room was nearly empty. There was a door on the right side of the room and a door on the left. Nothing completely exciting. There were about four or five computer monitors (which were off) making a half-circle on the wall furthest from me and a tower of cards stood in the middle of the room. Behind the small tower of cards sat the white clad pajama boy I was looking for.

Almost gliding across the carpet in my socks, I made my way to the other side of the tower. I stared at the tower he was building with his tarot cards for a few seconds, and then sat down next to him.

It must've been a few minutes since I actually said something. "You don't trust me, do you?" I asked the same question I've asked both Mello and L. It was quite saddening – not being trusted. But I've gotten used to it. You can't be trusted if you can't trust someone else. _Or…can you? _

Near's arm froze in midair as he was about to place another card on top of the tower. After two seconds, he continued what he was doing. He was slower than before, apparently thinking of a response.

"I'm not sure, yet."

"You said that last time." I wasn't sitting in a crouch this time. I was just curled up in a ball with my hands around my legs and my head on my knees, looking at him sideways. The cup of ice was to my right, slowly wetting the white carpet beneath it as the ice slowly melted.

"I am quite aware."

There was a pause. "So when are you gonna?"

"When you tell me the truth."

I eyed him carefully. "What truth?"

"Of where you are really from and what business you have with L."

I blinked slowly. Being the oh so clever person I am, I decided to speak my mind. "How much do you know?" I mentally slapped myself repeatedly within the second after I asked the question.

"I do not know what your main motive is for being here, but it is not to catch Kira."

"But I want to catch Kira as much as the next person!" I argued.

"While this may be true, it is not your sole purpose. That is why I said 'main motive.'"

"Oh…" was all I could manage at the moment. I really didn't like the fact that he pointed out that I was hiding something. Since he did, it meant that not only he, but Light and L were aware of the same thing. This could be a problem. "How did you come to this conclusion?" I inquired warily.

He paused again. I wasn't sure what he was thinking about since he had a blank expression on his face. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw…

Nothing.

I blinked after a moment of contemplation. Why did I see _nothing_? Usually, there was at least _something _there. It's usually boredom or calculation. So…why did I see nothing?

"L told me all about you. Remember?"

My eyes widened and I had to try desperately not to let my mouth drop open or try to rip my hair out. Then suddenly, my eyes shrunk back to their normal size, if not more narrowed, and I frowned. _I'm finally starting to understand._

Near resumed stacking his cards.

_If I ask L why he thought this, he'll either deny it or lie. I'm sure of it; he's a natural liar. He's the hardest to read out of everyone here, and if I can't read Near's eyes, then what does that make of L? _

_...Or perhaps maybe Near is harder to read than L._

I raised my hand like some sort of robot and swatted his tower, sending the cards to a small heap on the floor. My eyes flickered to his and I studied him as thoroughly as I could.

His face was still blank. His eyes were staring at the card pile, his frozen hand holding the card he was about to stack.

_Damn it! No surprise? No irritation? He's supposed to be angry right now! Or at least show some signs of irritation! WHAT IS WITH THIS GUY?_

I forced myself to calm down and not throw a temper tantrum at my mood swing. _It's only been a few seconds, just have patience! _

I waited for a reaction such as 'get out' or at least narrowing eyes.

Instead, he lowered his arm and looked at the card in his hand.

Almost flinching at the word, I stared at the card. _Judgment. _I raised an eyebrow and stared at him curiously, wondering what he could be thinking about with just that small little card.

Near used his free hand to slide the cards aside and took another card, balancing the two on the carpet and making the top ends touch. He began to build off of that, acting as if I had never knocked down his tower in progress.

_Well that's a little odd… _

"What brought up the first question you inquired me?"

Biting my lip, I tried to remember a few minutes ago. When I finally remembered, I hesitated. Then: "You have cameras in the car."

Near stopped what he was doing – not paused, _stopped _– and set down his card. He turned his head in my direction, his eyes as unreadable as his face. _Maybe there's nothing there? He's not feeling anything? I mean, L at least has _some _emotion. But Near's just…frustrating. _At this point, I wanted to rip my hair out for the second time today.

"Who gave you that information?"

"You did."

His mouth pulled into a frown and studied me for a bit. Or perhaps he was thinking about something else? I couldn't tell anymore.

"Oh…I see…"

Allow me to clear this up for you in case you didn't know.

-Flashback-

"_If you know something that will help us in this investigation, you _need_ to let us know."_

"_Mello, do not frighten her. She is needed on this case and we can't afford to lose her."_

"_He's right, Mello. Besides, if she knows anything, I'm sure she'll tell. She's as dedicated to catching Kira as L is to candy. Right, Masako?"_

-End of Flashback-

Mello's voice didn't sound scary itself, it was his glare. You couldn't hear my fear because I didn't make a sound, but you could _see _it. And the only way to see it would be to have some sort of device, like a live feed camera. I knew for a fact that he trusted Mello and Matt – it wasn't them he was worried about. So if it wasn't them, it had to be me. I'm not sure of the reason _why_ he had those cameras installed, but if I wasn't on my toes after meeting Rem, I would've missed that little detail. I just had a feeling that Near thought I would pull something to hurt them while I was on the case.

I resisted the urge to shake my head. _Why the hell would I want to hurt them? I'm trying to PROTECT them! _Right then and there, I wanted to tell Near everything. Then maybe he wouldn't be so wary of me. I'm constantly on his watch, as well as L's. I didn't like it. I wanted them to understand that I was on _their _side. I wasn't fighting against them. _What do I have to do to prove it to you? _

After a few more minutes of watching him and gnawing at my lip, my eyes zoned in on the tower and swatted it with my hand again, sending all of the cards to the floor.

Near, still emotionless, turned his dull eyes to me. "Did I upset you somehow?" The question was more directed to himself rather than me.

Though, I remained silent and continued to stare at him intently, completely ignoring his question. Seeing as he would get no reply, he slid the cards aside again, building a new tower.

Even more frustrated than before, I swung my hand a bit harder than before, sending some of the cards flying at least four feet away before hitting the carpet.

Again, Near paused. He set the card in his hand down in front of him on the pile and positioned himself to face me. "You have my undivided attention."

I frowned. In the real world, I went by facial expressions, not by eyes. Usually in the real world, I would only see intelligence in peoples' eyes – some a little duller than others, some sparkled. Some were normal, and some were odd colors if you look closely. But _never _had I been able to read emotions easily through the eyes. Don't get me wrong – I could do it. But it would be very hard. In the anime world, though, it was easier to read through the eyes because they have so much detail in them. Since L's and Near's don't have much detail, I could barely understand whether they told truths or lies. Of course, I could just quit trying with L. Near is more honest, but he only lies when necessary. I could pick out a lie in Near's eyes, but L's? Forget it. With him, I usually have to piece things together to figure him out. It was strange, though, that when I looked into the mirror, I could never read my own eyes.

_Wait. _I blinked in realization. I saw it in his eyes. The first lie he ever told me. I told him I saw the lie. He corrected his error.

_He's…completely calm; now…he's _forcing _himself to be calm so I can't read him!_

I narrowed my eyes for the umpteenth time that day. Raising my hand slowly, unsure of what I should do from there, I followed my instincts.

I slapped him.

…Hard.

The sharp sound echoed loudly throughout the room, each echo haunting me of what I had done, but I ignored them. As far as I was concerned, I knew what I was doing.

_Do I?_

The albino's head was looking at the floor; surprised, sad, calculating, I didn't know anymore. I looked for some reaction to what I had done, but unfortunately, nothing came.

After five seconds, Near raised his head, looking me straight in the eye. His hair was a little swayed from my slap and his left cheek was a dark red, due to his sensitive skin.

"I am sorry I frighten you."

"And I, you," was my reply. Neither of us moved. I was trying to figure out what to do from there. He just apologized, which was to be expected, but I never thought I'd get this far. I never had any more plans for afterwards.

My entire body was tense. I was always tense around people I didn't understand the slightest. I understood that Near was afraid of me because I'm currently working with him, and he knows I'm lying about something and he thinks I'll use that information to hurt someone in the Task Force – specifically L; just as I tend to be afraid of him because I can't read his expressions and I don't know how much he knows about me. I never feel safe if I can't read people. It seemed to have been the only main defense in my life.

I mentally slapped myself for relying on a small shield such as that for a long period of time. I needed to adapt, I needed to get used to other things. I've accomplished areas such as changing handwritings, reading facial expressions and body languages, analyzing different situations, visualization, and performing tasks with my toes. And out of all of these things I could've used, I stuck with the one thing that's not in my power.

This counted as a weakness; and an obvious one, at that.

Near's hand slowly reached for the remaining cards in front of him, making room to construct a card tower once again.

Since today seemed to be a day of experiments, I tried to think of what else I wanted to do. _I need one of those 'what would happen ifs…' _

Kind of awkwardly, since I wasn't used to it, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him into a hug. I felt him tense up even more than he usually did. I originally thought he would pull away, but he didn't.

Seconds passed by, and I finally decided to let go. When I sat myself upright and looked at his face, he was looking at his cards, not meeting my gaze. I tilted my head to the side in question, more to myself. Any reaction he should've had had been covered up, it seems, so I was out of luck on the hugging thing. _It's so weird…Shai and Kaida get irritated or uncomfortable when I hug them…well…maybe not Kaida so much since she knows me well, but Shai doesn't like to be touched at all. And if Shai's uncomfortable, then Near and L would bound to be, also._

I thought of some more ideas on what I could do, just to see if I could pick up anything new from him. Anything I didn't previously know before would've been helpful.

He raised his right hand and twirled a lock of his hair, which I knew to be meaning that he was thinking about something. Then, an idea struck me.

Not realizing what I was doing until I had done it, I reached out with my right hand and touched his hair.

I really didn't know why I did that. I guess it was because I saw him twirling his hair all the time, and it made me wonder if there was some kind of softness to it or any specific reason why it was his hair that he liked to play with when thinking.

_I guess the same goes for L and his thumb. _Of course, I could give you a novel of reasons why I wouldn't want to touch that thumb.

I raised an eyebrow and giggled. Near looked at me like I was going crazy, and I could tell that he was confused by my actions. I could read him a bit more easily now, but I was still on my guard.

"Your hair is soft," I stated softly with a smile. "No wonder why you twirl it all the time."

Near's expression didn't change as I released his hair and laid my hand down on my lap. My legs were now folded underneath me and my hair was slightly shielding my face more than usual. Nevertheless, I still had the same soft smile on my face at my discovery. It reminded me of when the people in the salon at the mall would wash my hair and get it cut, leaving it really soft for two or three days. But of course, I always hated going there because those workers didn't even know how to cut a straight line.

I scrunched up my nose at the memory, but dragged myself back to reality and my face went blank again. During that time, Near had begun to stack the cards again.

I sighed. _At least I got something from him today. Thankfully, he's not as stubborn as L, so this should be easy. It just takes time, that's all._ I stood up and dusted off my pajama bottoms, heading toward the elevator. Quickly changing my mind, a swung around and briskly walked up to Near, softly kicking his tower down.

He looked up from the floor and I smiled triumphantly at him in a mocking, but teasing way, resting my hands on my hips and my back straight with pride. Near raised an eyebrow at my posture, but then slowly narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

I let as much of my teeth show as possible and my smile got bigger, prodding him on to at least give a small smile. He sighed and picked up the nearest card.

"You're such a killjoy," I notified; a shadow of a smile on my face. With that, I spun around on my heel and headed toward the elevator.

Rocking back and forth happily on my feet, I was in a pretty good mood; despite the disturbing news I got from Rem. I was trying to shove it in the back of my mind until I had to leave, but then again, I had to figure out how to get out. L had security cameras everywhere. I couldn't consult Shai for this since she'll ask where I was going and insist on coming along. It would look a little suspicious if she and I were gone at the same time. The Task Force would be running around like crazy looking for us before we tore each other to shreds.

_I so do not need another trip to the hospital. _

I stopped rocking on the balls of my feet and was now tapping my foot impatiently as the elevator slowly made its way up to my room.

_Seriously, it's only a few floors! How long could it possibly take?_

A ding sounded throughout the elevator and the door opened.

_Finally! _

I raced to my bedroom and grabbed Momo (my purple elephant) and my Ipod. I was about to leave, but I stopped. I took the modified headphones out of my Ipod and put in one of my many spares, throwing the previous ones on my desk.

_If anyone hears anything about the S.U.D., I'll be in trouble… _

Before walking out, I realized how similar my bedroom was to Near's main room. The walls were white, as was the carpet, except the only difference was that I had more stuff in my rooms. Not to mention there were random, small, and almost barely noticeable spots hinting the color blue on my walls.

_I find it strange…how this building was built before L even started the case; at least that's what happened in the original series. But everything looks to be set up as if he already knew who was staying here...A glitch, maybe? _I blinked the realization away and ventured to the living room, stumped for once. I turned on my music and began to sing to myself happily, though internally debating on my method of escape for the night to come.

I now had one more task to accomplish. And I would have to wait until midnight to do it.


	27. Escape of the Silver Hearted Gamers

**Here's your double update. I'm going to be updating more frequently now, so expect a new chapter every week or two instead of every month. ^-^ **

**This chapter is written in third person POV, since I haven't tried my hand at that in this story yet. Not to mention it would save some confusion between what's really happening and what the characters are actually thinking. I'll be able to jump around without switching POVs, and since you have a general idea about how each character thinks, you'll be able to (hopefully) see the reasons behind their actions. Try to be observant. It helps.**

**Haha, you'll see what I'm doing here - every action makes sense because the character thinks of their reasons behind it, but let's see what happens when you **_**don't **_**have the thoughts. :3 I know. I'm evil. MUA! HA! HA! Well, I give you a little bit more thoughts throughout the chapter and a little bit of help at the end in the commentaries, so just read it. :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

June 10, 2010

Thursday 10:34 pm

Wandering around aimlessly was never a healthy thing to do. It never got her anywhere, and nothing good ever came of it. Everything around her was completely and totally boring.

She walked lazy and casually down the sidewalk, her hair now long enough to pull back in her signature ponytail with black and orange feathers. She wore regular fitting beige shorts and an orange tank top, her long, multicolored earrings swaying as she walked. Her long nails where painted black and she had a few shiny bracelets on each arm.

Glancing over her shoulder at a store she had just passed, she glanced at it for a bit, as if trying to recall something from her memory. Her head snapped up slightly when she came back to reality and walked to the door of the jewelry shop.

The bells hanging on the back of the door chimed loudly as she entered and she made her way to one of the glass cases. The necklaces on display were beautiful, no doubt – but expensive. She could afford it, though. Intrigued, she raised her hand and tapped on the wooden frame next to the glass, then sliding her finger across it as she marveled at all of the shining material. Her eyes drifted from object to object, unsure of what to buy for herself.

"Can I help you, miss?"

Kaida raised her head at the soft voice that echoed throughout the small shop. Right in front of her was a woman who looked to be somewhere in her twenties. Her long black hair framed her face and trailed down her back and she wore thick square framed glasses that seemed to make her eyes larger than they actually were. Wearing a white shirt, a black cardigan, and a long black skirt from what Kaida could see through the glass, she appeared to be calm and completely at ease. Her long nails were painted a lighter shade of black than Kaida's, but the difference in color was hardly noticeable. The only piece of jewelry she had on was a small silver and black pendant that hung from her neck.

"No, I'm fine," Kaida gave the simple reply. As nice as this girl seemed, she really didn't want to socialize today.

"My name is Mai Ogato. I'll be in the back if you need anything." Mai turned from the counter and disappeared through a curtain of beads at the back of the shop.

Kaida raised her eyebrow at the poor security, but shrugged it off and continued to browse. After thinking for a bit, she paused. "Ogato?" She asked herself thoughtfully.

Mai's head popped up through the purple and golden colored beads. "Yes?"

Kaida waved a hand in her direction. "I didn't say anything."

The storekeeper looked confused, but after a reasonable debate with herself, she withdrew back into the clusters of beads.

Kaida heaved a sigh and left the display cases with a look of concentration on her face. Her feet took her to multiple stands of rings and necklaces hanging from hooks on the walls. Her gaze swept the wall with ease, her concentration forgotten as she was captivated by the beautiful and shiny objects that lay before her. She smiled when she spotted one in particular. Her feet guided her to the wall as she took the necklace off the hook and eyed the patters on the heart.

It looked exactly like Ryuk's earring.

She let her finger trace the patterns on the silver colored heart before smiling to herself and walking back to the counter. "Ogato-san?"

Mai came almost immediately, carrying a medium sized box. "You can just call me Mai-chan. All of my customers do," she breathed out, setting the box down on the counter next to the display case. She pushed up her glasses and took a short breath, smoothing out her skirt and making her way to the register. "I'm so sorry for the delay! Did you find something you like?"

"Yeah," Kaida held up the necklace for her to see and set it on the counter. Mai raised her eyebrow at her decision and grabbed the chain, holding it up to the light.

"Something wrong?" The younger girl asked curiously.

"No, not at all…"

"Is there some sort of story behind that?" Kaida inquired as Mai continued to examine the necklace thoughtfully.

Mai blinked a few times, as if coming back to reality. The shop didn't have a cash register, so she settled with checking the tag. "Oh, I wouldn't know. My grandfather used to own this shop a few years ago, and he bought masses of stock when business was well. But during all the time I spent here…this necklace…I don't remember seeing it." Mai looked up from the necklace and Kaida handed her the required payment of yen.

"Are you sure? Not to sound rude or anything, but it was in plain sight right over there," Kaida jabbed a thumb in the direction of a small, empty space on the wall.

"Are there anymore?"

"Not from what I could see," Kaida shrugged.

Mai's lips curved into a frown and concentration made her furrow her eyebrows. "Well, there's a price tag on it, so Grandpa must have bought it at some point." Mai laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm such a ditz when it comes to remembering things, so perhaps I forgot that we had duplicates and that I had sold them." She gave a sweet smile and reached for a small, purple velvet pouch.

"Well, that _does _happen to a lot of people, nowadays," Kaida concluded with a quick bob of her head. Her ponytail bounced and her earrings swayed from the movement, though she didn't seem to notice.

"Here you are," Mai politely handed Kaida the pouch and the latter took it thankfully.

Giving a quick thank you in Mai's direction, Kaida turned around and walked lazily to the door. "See ya around," she called over her shoulder.

"Bye, Kaida-san!" Mai waved.

The golden haired girl stepped out onto the street. She heard the bells dinging behind her as the door closed. Her feet guiding her to the right; otherwise known as the previous path she took before she entered the small shop.

There weren't as many people on the street as there were a half hour ago. The people that passed seemed to be exhausted, yet still in a rush to get home to their loved ones or running to another important meeting before they retire for the day.

Either way, there were still too many people around for Kaida's taste. Solitude would be more suitable for her, but she knew that this was the best that it was going to get. Aoyama was a popular city, so it was quite rare to see only a few people out at this time.

Kaida reached into the velvet pouch and grabbed the chain, pulling the necklace out and examining it more thoroughly. It looked to be made of real silver.

"Well, that just sounds weird cause I got it too cheap for it to be silver…" The piece of jewelry was cold to the touch and her reflection showed perfectly in the smooth places. Kaida then noticed a small, thin line outlining the heart. At closer inspection, she found that it was a locket.

Eager to get it open, she fingered the shiny object, using her nails to try and pry it open. After a few seconds, she grew frustrated and just settled with wearing it around her neck. She figured she would open it later when she had the proper tools to help her, though she was still impatient as to opening the small item.

Kaida put on a thoughtful face as she began to think about Mai. Despite her attire, she struck Kaida as a little eccentric. She didn't know why she felt this way, but there was just something off about her.

Her footsteps suddenly slowed after she had walked passed a few more shops. Her face contorted into concentration as she fully halted and her face lit up as if an epiphany just struck. Kaida turned her head thoughtfully to the shop she had just walked out of. It stood about thirty feet away and it was still in view. Its windows were dirty and the shop looked like it had been around for a while. At anyone's guess, that would be the first place that the inspectors would shut down or condemn, though it didn't look nearly as bad on the inside as it did on the out.

Determined, Kaida walked quickly back to the jewelry shop. She reached for the handle, but paused. Perhaps maybe she was overreacting?

Kaida shook her head quickly, hoping to shake these kinds of thoughts away. At the same time, she turned the knob and opened the door. The bells chimed loudly as she rushed up to the counter and the door swung closed, causing a loud banging sound to stab the calm feeling atmosphere around the shop.

"Ogato-san!" she called since Mai was nowhere in sight. Kaida eyed the curtain of gold and purple beads, expecting Mai to make her appearance.

Five seconds passed with no response, and Kaida began to grow impatient. "Ogato-san!" she called even louder. When she didn't get a reply, Kaida huffed indignantly and walked to the edge of the counter, rounding the corner and making her way to the doorway leading the back, as Mai had called it, using the small narrow passage provided.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kaida swept the beads aside with one hand and stepped through.

The room was filled with boxes; most of them brown. They varied in sizes, and all of them were marked according to price and material. The shelves held small boxes while the large boxes took up space on the cold wooden floors. It seemed to be your basic storage room.

Kaida's gaze hardened when she found no one inside.

"So what, no 'we're closed' sign?" she asked the walls irritably. She scrunched up her nose and moved her mouth to one side of her face, not sure what to make of the situation. "Guess I'm leaving, then," she informed the empty space as she walked out of the room.

Hearing the bells for one last time that night, she made her way to the nearest bus stop, her pouch tucked in her pocket and the silver heart hanging from her neck.

…

10:45 pm

Shai's eyes narrowed at the TV screen in front of her. The screen went black, now brightening to the colors of her last starting point. Her character stood suspended on a stone, completely motionless, waiting for the command from the controller connecting to the Playstation 2.

That settled it. If she didn't have enough hatred for her current character before, she certainly did now.

"Stupid Cloud… Why are you so weak?" Shai paused the game and smacked the controller down on top of the Playstation, then turned off the TV so as to continue playing the game later.

Despite these kinds of thoughts clouding her mind, she knew that there was a way to win – or at least, progress through the game. It wasn't all Cloud's fault, despite the fact that he was weaker than Sephiroth.

It is a role playing game, and the characters are programmed to do exactly as they were commanded by their gamers. Even if one were to consistently scream at the game, it wouldn't be logical – nor would it be very intelligible. It is the precision, the swinging of the sword, the way you tilt your game controller, the amount of concentration you need to have during every waking hour of playing the game, the multiple ranks to climb, the success, the failure, and the understanding between gamer and device. All of these aspects and many more that you need to consider are important in the mind of the gamer. Every second counts; every point represents strength.

Slowly rising from the floor, Shai made her way to the couch, where she plopped down unceremoniously and stared at a random point on the ceiling.

She smiled as she thought deeper into the concept of gaming. It was a misunderstood idea, which was one of the many reasons why she loved it so much. There were many things that you needed to think about while playing games and it teaches the mind to stay active and alert. Many thought that gaming was a waste of time, when in all reality, it was the exact opposite.

Gaming wasn't just about racing other cars or shooting spears that appeared out of thin air. No, it was so much more. Gaming could be used in the real world just as well as on screen. Many manipulate the human emotions to save those that they love, or perhaps just for fun. The liars would save themselves and the kind hearted would battle to the death for others.

A lot of people argue and say that life is not a game, but who's to say that it isn't? Who's to say that there's a _right _way to view life? To view the world?

"We're all gamers…playing our own characters in our own little worlds…" Shai concluded her thoughts in a soft voice.

"Is that so?" A chilling voice replied.

Shai nearly jumped up from her place on the couch when the voice sounded. She grabbed the top of the fuzzy red sofa and pulled herself up, looking over the back to find a certain shinigami sitting on the floor with his back against the fabric only a foot away from where she currently sitting.

"What the hell, Ketsueki? Where've you been?" Shai didn't even bother trying to hide her responses from the cameras and wiretaps anymore. It was inconvenient to believe that these devices would be on her floor, and she knew from a very reliable source that L doesn't check them, let alone record them.

"Hanging around here; eating cherries there. You know…the usual."

"You're supposed to be hanging around _me_. I'm the one with the Death Note, remember?"

"Well, I just don't feel like it. Don't take it personally."

"Aren't you supposed to die or get punished or something if you don't follow the owner of the Death Note?"

Ketsueki paused. "It _is _true that shinigami are bound by their notebooks, therefore, bound to the human as well. But think of me more as…an exception."

Shai raised an eyebrow. "An exception?"

"Yeah."

She furrowed her eyebrows at the lazy shinigami that sat before her. She had just now noticed the cherries he was shoving into his mouth as he ate two at a time. He only had a small handful left.

"So why are you here now of all times?"

Ketsueki's arm froze in midair, his cherry only inches away from his ghostly mouth. After a moment's hesitation, he devoured the cherry quickly. "Well, let's just say I need you to go to a certain place at a certain time…"

…

Her feet padded softly on the carpet as Masako paced her living room. Her hands were clasped behind her back and she viciously gnawed at her lip, trying to discover some method of escape. It seemed that no matter how many ways you would look at the building, there was only one way out. And that was passed the Task Force.

Masako stomped her foot with irritation. Four and a half hours flew by way too quickly for her to think of something productive to do in relation to her escape. With a huff, she stomped over to her couch and sat down roughly, crossing her arms with her eyebrows furrowed.

Closing her eyes, she began to think.

After about five minutes, she sighed heavily. "I can't consult L about it because he wouldn't let me go. So what do I do?" Her voice faltered when she came to her question and she sank further into the sofa, her gaze rising slowly to the ceiling with complete loss in her eyes.

Near wouldn't tell anyone if she went, but he wouldn't very well give her a plan to escape. Mello would demand why she's leaving since his trust stands on edge and it's already clear that he doesn't like her, and Matt probably wouldn't care, though he would be most likely hanging around Mello.

"This bites," Masako concluded. She swung her legs over the arm of the couch and fell back, allowing her to fully stare up at the ceiling. "Why can't I think of anything? I'm sure that-" Her voice cut off abruptly as an idea struck her. She opened her mouth to say something to herself, saying that it was an absurd idea and even an insane person wouldn't have done it in a million years, but just ended up closing her mouth again. This repeated for a few times, and anyone possibly watching would consider her a fish.

Finally, she swung her legs off the arm and leapt off of the couch, landing with a _thud _on the floor. Her gaze held determination and certainty as she raced to her room to dress into the proper clothes. "It might not be foolproof, but it's worth a shot!"

…

"But why at 12?" Shai raised an eyebrow and leaned further over the back of her couch, staring at Ketsueki disbelievingly.

"Cause we're meeting someone. Stop asking questions and let's go." Ketsueki stood from his place on the floor and turned his head to look at Shai. "Well, are you coming, or what?"

Shai checked her watch. "It's only 10:55, and the subway takes us ten minutes to get there."

"Mmm, I'm not talking about your meeting, Shai."

"Huh? Then what? Go ahead – spit it out," Shai pushed, rather irritated with the shinigami at this point for lack of information.

"Hm…your little friend has only four and a half minutes left to live."

Shai knitted her eyebrows together at first, uncomprehending the question. When the shinigami crackled only a few seconds later, her eyes flew open as a wave of comprehension washed over her and she grabbed the back of the couch, leaping over it and darting for the elevator. Once there, she jabbed the 10th floor button numerous times, all the while chanting 'come on, come on.'

Ketsueki made it through the doors right before they started to close. Shai tapped her fingers against her leg furiously waiting for the doors to open again.

"How do you even know who I'm talking about?"

"Kaida can take care of herself. Masako is an idiot," she spat in reply. "See the difference?"

"Ohoho…"

"Damn it! This elevator is so _slow_!" Shai kicked the door furiously, and by this time the door opened to reveal Masako's empty living room. Shai raced inside and took in the unoccupied space.

She had only been on Masako's floor once, and that was when they had moved into HQ. Shai knew that Masako was naturally tidy with her belongings, and it didn't take a genius to figure out something was wrong. Her ice was left on the table, which wasn't out of the ordinary since she had a tendency to forget about it, but only when she was deep in thought. There were certain spots on the white carpet that were dirty, most likely from being worn out. And most noticeably, the clock on her wall had been set and stuck to 12 o'clock.

"12? But that's when I was supposed to…" Shai suddenly swung her head to Ketsueki, who was examining various objects, but still looking bored. "You told her about the meeting, didn't you?"

Ketsueki's head moved up slightly after a few seconds, realizing that it was him that Shai had addressed. "Hm? No…but Rem might've."

"Rem?" Shai nearly exclaimed. Her thoughts raced at an alarming rate as she sprinted to Masako's bedroom. Her drawer was slightly ajar and her pajamas looked like they had been thrown on the bed. The drawer that was open was filled with sweatpants and shorts. Shai also spotted three black hair ties lying next to her headphones on her desk.

"Looks like she's not here," Ketsueki pointed out.

"Damn it, where is she?" Shai asked herself, completely ignoring Ketsueki. She knew it was no use, but she searched her desk drawers and through her closet, looking for any clues. "Masako, you blind little fool! Why do you have to do this to me? Why can't you be smart for once and _not _get yourself killed?"

"Two and a half minutes…"

"Fuck it! This isn't working!" Shai stood from the floor after looking under the bed and threw her arms up in exasperation. "Her cell phone is still here as well as her Ipod, so something _must _be wrong!"

After a moment, she took a deep breath and calmed down. She walked into the living room and stared at the worn down spots on the carpet.

"Eh? What are you doing? Don't you want to save Masako?"

"She's standing in the room…" Shai said quietly to herself.

"Huh?" Ketsueki hovered down to Shai's level and turned his head in various ways to try to see what she was seeing.

"No, she wouldn't be standing. Pacing. She would be pacing – this caused the carpet to get dirty and wear out." Shai's eyebrows knitted together. "She's thinking of a method for her escape…"

"Escape?"

"L wouldn't have let her go out at 12. Now be quiet and let me think…"

_Masako swung her legs off of the arm of the couch and leapt off, running to her bedroom. She opened her drawers hurriedly and began to shuffle through the clothing. After a pause, she pulled out gray sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. She changed into them quickly and her eyes swept the bedroom. _

"…Why are we picturing Masako getting dressed?"

"Shut up, Ketsueki. I'm thinking…"

_She made a beeline for the dresser and grabbed the smallest hair tie, pulling her hair back and making sure it was secure. She put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. Her gaze landed on her phone on her desk, and she took a step towards it, but thought better of it and decided not to take it with her. _

"What does this have to do with where she went?"

Shai completely ignored him and went on. "The hair tie she took was the smallest…so it must have been crucial that her hair wouldn't get in her face. It's possible that she would be clipping electrical wires since she didn't bring her phone or her Ipod, but Masako doesn't know the first thing about wires…."

_She walked out into the living room, leaving her electronics behind, and glancing at the clock one last time before moving the hands to reach 12 o'clock. She stepped into the elevator…_

"Well, well, well. Looks like you've hit a dead end, Shai," Ketsueki informed with a laugh.

"No."

"Heh?"

Shai pushed the 'up' button on the elevator and tapped her foot impatiently. The doors finally opened, and once inside, she pushed the button that would lead her up to the 20th floor.

"I figured as much," Shai looked at the door with frustration clearly written on her face. The door needed a card key, but it looked like someone had already got into the system and clipped some wires since the automatic doors were already open.

"How does she know how to do that without setting off an alarm?"

"She doesn't. Matt helped her."

"_Matt! Just the guy I was looking for!"_

_The said teen was sitting on a black armchair, leaning over a DS. He pressed 'pause' on his game and looked warily at Masako; wondering what she could possibly want with him. "Hm?"_

"_Can I ask you for a favor?"_

"_Depends on what it is."_

_Masako seemed to recoil at this, immediately thinking this was a bad idea. "Ok, well, I kind of have to be somewhere tonight…"_

"_And L's not gonna let you go since it's so late. Now you want me to get involved with some random dangerous scheme your mind came up with."_

"…_Precisely," Masako laughed nervously. "I need you to break into Watari's weaponry room without setting off the alarm."_

"_How do you know Watari has weapons?" Matt raised an eyebrow. Masako's eyes widened as she had forgotten that she wasn't supposed to know about Watari being a sniper. "Uh…well…he told me that he had weaponry skills, so it would only make sense if he had weapons…"_

"_Uhu," he replied disbelievingly. "And you think that I'm gonna give you access to weapons?"_

"Alright, that didn't work…" Shai thought. She then remembered seeing Masako's laptop open, but she only remembered seeing words like 'red' and 'blue.' "I should've looked at the computer before we left her floor. She learned how to break in herself." Shai examined the security pass code system on the right hand side of the door. It looked poorly put together, probably Masako's doing, and inside the once locked room were all kinds of weaponry.

"Why would Masako need weapons? And how did she know where Watari had them, or even if he had them at all?"

"Will you stop asking questions?"

"I'm a very curious shinigami. Oh, by the way, you have 45 seconds left."

"Damn!" Shai ran to the elevator as fast as she could and pushed the button that would take her to the 26th floor.

"You'd better be right. Otherwise…"

"Can't you tell me how she's going to die?"

"I wouldn't know. I can only see her lifespan. But since you three are from different worlds, it's harder for me to read your lifespans. Of course, I still can't see yours."

"I see…"

"You know, your friend is destined to die. So you don't believe in fate?"

Shai already knew what Ketsueki was talking about. "Actually, I do." The elevator was now passing the 25th floor. "I know that our fate had changed as soon as we came to this world. Though, I'm not sure if this is correct or not, but since we're still tied to our world, we have two different fates. We have a choice since we have shinigami on our side. It would only make sense."

The doors opened and Shai ran for the steps. Ketsueki flew after her, keeping up with her pace.

"If it were just a shinigami in _our_ world, then I would know that Masako was going to die, no matter what. I could postpone it, but she would still die from that same death. Or so, that's what I believe. But I can just tell – we have a chance at surviving in this world because our fate didn't yet come in our world."

"You're not making all that much sense."

"Really? I thought I was quite clear," Shai said in between breaths as she reached the top of the steps.

…

Masako tightened the rope around the hook and fastened it to the railing. Her knees were shaking, and she knew that she could possibly die, but this was the only way she could get to that meeting. She knew that it had to do with more than just her – it wasn't the Third Kira that was endangering her and her friends. It was something more…and she needed to find out what so she could prepare for it.

She took a deep breath and climbed over the railing, standing on the very edge. She was about to get the rope ready, until she looked down and realized just how far she had to travel. She immediately lost all of her confidence. "Alright, I can't do this! I'll just find some other way to go to the meeting! That's all!" It was 26 stories after all, and it didn't seem that high to her at first.

"Masako!"

Startled, Masako whipped her head around at the voice. The momentum caused her neck, as well as her back, to twist painfully. It was something that would've went away in a few seconds, but it only took a few seconds to die. Masako yelped and discovered that she didn't have the strength to hold onto the railing anymore.

From that point on, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Masako let go of the railing and she started to tip backwards. It didn't seem to register in Masako's mind that she was going to plunge to her death, so her face remained blank as the tips of her toes left the edge.

"NO!"

Masako forgot whose voice it was, and now all she could see were windows ascending into the sky.

She shut her eyes, not wanting to witness the sight. Her life didn't flash before her eyes like in the movies, as she was sure they wouldn't. She never believed that such a thing could happen to everyone.

Thinking that this was the end, her insides nearly exploded when she felt her back come into contact with something. Masako didn't think that death would come this fast. She expected it to be a few more floors down.

But as soon as she made contact with something else, she knew that it wasn't concrete that she had landed on. First it was something soft. Then she felt two bar-like objects stop her from going anywhere else.

For a second Masako was frozen. She refused to open her eyes. She didn't know what was going on.

Finally, her eyes opened. The first thing she saw was Light's face full of concern and almost panic. Now, it was Masako's turn to panic.

The memory of Light holding L when he died flashed through her mind and she screamed and scrambled away from Light. The latter's expression then resembled that of confusion.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked from behind. Masako jumped at the new voice and looked over her shoulder. L had asked the question and his eyes held concern and seriousness within them. He was holding a mattress against a balcony and Mogi was on the other side. The rest of the Task Force was gathered around her, the Wammy prodigies present as well.

"What were you doing up there, anyway?" Aizawa nearly yelled, disbelief coating his voice.

"You could have died!" Matsuda threw in with a worried expression on his face.

Mello's arms were folded and he was standing few feet away. He had a look of disapproval on his face. Matt had his game away for once; looking at Masako with serious eyes and Near had his fingers in his hair, analyzing her reactions.

The Task Force looked completely frustrated, besides Matsuda, who just looked concerned.

Masako just stayed where she was and listened to multiple shouts being thrown in her direction and did what Shai called 'waiting it out.' She remembered Shai telling her a few months ago that it was better to just let people scream at you and finish rather than interrupt them and leave them with more to say or more anger.

…

"Well, that was unexpected."

"I wanna know how they knew she was escaping in the first place, and why no one told _me_." Shai was leaning against the back elevator wall with her hands in her pockets, completely drained. "I so need more exercise…"

Ketsueki studied Shai for a bit, as if puzzled by something, but disappeared into the walls as the elevator doors opened. As soon as they did, Shai took her hands out of her pockets and walked wearily into the room, sighing with relief at seeing Masako sitting on the floor. She had a blank look on her face, which wasn't all that surprising, and she didn't even acknowledge her as she walked into the room.

"How'd you guys know to set up all of this?" Shai had thought carefully about what she had wanted to say in the elevator, and was determined to let Masako solve this problem on her own. Shai didn't know how much Masako wanted to reveal to them, so she did her best to sound as inconspicuous as possible.

It was Soichiro that spoke. "Matt had given Masako modified headphones that allowed L's successors to make contact with her in case an emergency arose in the investigation."

"Masako had had them somewhere in her room, and then you came in and started looking for her and searching her belongings." Before Matsuda continued, Mello cut in; his voice filled with disappointment and irritation.

"If _Near-_" he spat. "-hadn't have been listening at the time that he did, _you-_" his piercing gaze rested on Masako. "-would've been dead. We didn't have enough time to go up on the roof since Shai was already on her way up, so we stayed down here, just in case you were stupid enough to fall."

No one scolded him for sounding harsh since they were probably thinking the same thing.

Masako bowed her head, but her eyes remained where they were as she continued to stare at Mello.

As soon as everyone began firing questions that inquired her sanity, Masako looked like she had just been hit in the stomach. Her eyes turned soft and she looked like she was going to cry. At this, Shai shifted awkwardly. She had never seen Masako cry before, nor would it be a pretty sight. She hated it when women cried. She was never really meant to be a comforting person.

"If you wanted to leave, all you had to do was ask!"

"Yeah. It's not like you have anywhere important to go, so-" Aizawa cut off when he saw Masako stiffen. Shai figured she already knew why.

With a new air of confidence, Masako stood from her seat on the floor with determination in her eyes. She turned around and looked Aizawa straight in the eye. "I will _not _tolerate assumptions," she growled.

Shai blinked at her mood swing and withdrew in the shadows.

Aizawa seemed taken aback by her sudden behavior.

The geniuses in the room seemed to have come to the silent agreement that they would keep quiet and watch what would happen.

"What were you doing on the rooftop, Masako?" Soichiro asked seriously.

"L wouldn't have let me out on my own. There was no other escape."

"We have cameras installed on the rooftop as well, you know. It wouldn't have made a difference if you'd have escaped through one of the lower level windows," L informed.

Masako's eye twitched when this information reached her ears and she slowly turned to the three greatest detectives. She frowned at him with annoyance. Turning on her heel, she walked towards Matt and Mello.

Mello held his chin up higher as Masako made her way closer.

"I'm sorry for being such an idiot," Masako's statement was half sincere and half sarcastic. She then turned to Matt. "Will you please drive me to Aoyama Cemetery?"

Shai nearly faceplanted at her straightforward question. After all, she had almost died trying to get out alone, and now it seemed that she was giving them an invitation to come along.

"Uuuhh….." Matt looked to Mello and L for permission. Neither one of them spoke up as they stared at the angry girl in front of them with her arms crossed and her glare strong enough to kill. "Sure," Matt shrugged, making his way to the door still uncertain.

"Masako."

Masako turned around to look at L, who addressed her. L stared into her eyes for a few seconds, and then decided that it wasn't worth it in trying to convince her to stay. His efforts would have been fruitless. "Nevermind. Go."

With this, the grey-clad girl nodded. She was about to turn around, but stopped and turned to look at Near. His fingers were still tangled in his hair, observing. She didn't smile at him, nor did she have a friendly expression on. Despite this, she said, "Thank you for looking out for me." After that statement, she grabbed Shai's arm and pulled her along. Shai glanced at the Task Force one last time before she was dragged out the door.

…

The ride to the cemetery was deadly quiet. No one seemed to move an inch. No one said anything. The only sounds that were heard were that of the car traveling on the pavement. Shai glanced at Masako, who wasn't looking out the window for once. She was staring straight ahead; angry or determined, or perhaps even both, Shai wasn't sure. She wasn't slouching like she usually was. She was sitting up straight with her hands clasped on her lap.

Shai thought it had something to do with how she handled trying to escape, but she wasn't so sure.

The car came to a squeaky stop as Matt guided the car to the curb.

"What time do I pick you up?" he asked warily, as if afraid that even the slightest change in tone would send Masako into a raving mad state.

"Whenever Shai calls you," Masako replied.

Shai's head perked up at her name and she felt her pocket to make sure it was there. Thankfully, the higher powers were on her side.

"Go ahead," Matt instructed with a wave of his hand. He lit yet another cigarette and took a deep breath, letting the smoke fly out the window as to not anger Masako even further.

Masako and Shai did as they were told and climbed out of the car. Masako stopped by Matt's window and bowed. "Thank you for dropping us off."

Matt felt a little bit safer now that she was out of the car, but he wasn't off his guard, yet. "You're welcome. Stay safe, guys," he raised his voice at the second part of his response so Shai on the other side of the car could hear him. Shai gave a small wave through the open window on the other side and walked to the entrance of the cemetery. Masako followed as Matt began to drive away.

"You ok?" Shai asked as Masako neared. She was standing only a few feet from the entrance with her hands in her jacket pockets.

"Yeah. We still have some time left, so we should just wait here until Rem shows up."

But as they entered the cemetery, they knew instantly that they wouldn't need to wait.

**Done. Last chapter was a filler while this is a suspense building chapter. So how was the third person? Did you guys like it at all? **

**Since this is my first time using Third Person, I'm going to go over the things that you **_**might **_**have missed or been confused about. But after this, I won't put them in the commentaries anymore. You can still ask through review, and I'd be happy to answer, but it's a waste of space in Microsoft Word. I liked Kaida's part of the chapter better since I did my best with hers. Forgive me for later on…I got frustrated with time and half-shifted back to my slacker writing. I'll try not to do it again. ^-^ **

**Here's the help:**

**First off, did you understand the beginning – why Kaida went back to the shop? If you don't know, read over Mai and Kaida's conversation again. There's also a metaphoric meaning behind the silver heart Kaida had. It's not important just because it looks like Ryuk's earring. You can try to make predictions with this knowledge, so feel free to do so. The title, you can pretty much relate to the three heroines in the story if you think about it in the right way – referring to what has been said about the silver heart, and Shai's description of being a gamer.**

**There was something else in here, too. Does anyone find anything familiar about Mai's last name? Hm? Take a wild guess, but if you don't know, I'll give you a hint: It's in chapter 25. It's not that important, but I found this kind of neat since I just came up with it during this chapter. **

**There's a lot of hidden meanings and things behind this chapter – I know. I blame it on the current books and fanfictions I'm reading nowadays. But anyway, I hope everyone understands what happened with the whole escape plan. I'm not entirely sure if it made much sense to you or not since Shai had that whole CSI/NCIS thing going on, but here's basically a review:**

**Masako found out how to break into the weaponry room using online (or is it something else?) and she only got a hook and rope. She would hook the hook onto the ledges and use the rope for support so she wouldn't fall, and reuse the hook every time. She tied her hair back with the tightest hair tie she could find, because one distraction and she could fall. She dressed in gray to blend in with the building (or maybe because it matched her mood?). Here's a question for you: Does anyone know the reason behind changing the clock to 12?**

**And I think that's all for now. Leave your thoughts in a review, please. I'd really like to know what you guys think, good or bad! I'll be writing all week starting from here on out. :D**

**~ESF**


	28. Warnings and Corrections

**Me: I'm sorry, guys…this whole 'updating every week' thing isn't workin out for me too well. :6 I feel kinda bad right now…I hope I'm not losing any readers… (stares at reader count worriedly) **

**Ringo: Aw…don't feel bad about it…**

**Shai: What the hell are you talking about? I hope the guilt eats you alive, you nitwit!**

**Kaida: Damn straight! *nods vigorously***

**Matt: Damn…I feel bad for your readers. They're always waiting and you just let them down. Not cool.**

**Me: Again, sorry! My English class is killing me this year. I have a teacher that loves projects. /_- **

**Mello: Aw, boohoo! Get on with the chapter before I shoot you… -_-**

**Me: Oh, there's one more thing. This chapter is a little short-**

**Mello: I'LL SHOOT YOU, MASAKO!**

**Me: Cause there's a lot of information that I put in here. I figured I should just end where I had it, so I'm sorry for the length. Again, though, this chapter opens up tons of doors to other issues. Don't worry, it'll all make sense, soon. Maybe. Or later. Not sure. Guess you're just gonna have to read and find out. l3 **

**Disclaimer: Eternalsnowfox does not own Death Note.**

The moon was full and hovering over the now quiet cemetery. Tombstones seemed to set off a peculiar glow from the unusually bright moon and the light reflected in many directions. A crow in the far corner of the cemetery watched the newcomers with an eerie silence and her feathers were smoothed back into a sleek coat that glowed from the moon. She was resting on one of the smaller tombstones hidden the shadows.

They stepped into the cemetery, their feet causing a soft shuffling sound to lightly press their eardrums as they walked on. The grass was rather soft and weak, but the soil was strong and there weren't any rocks jutting out of it like other cemeteries.

"Yeah. We still have some time left, so we should just wait here until Rem shows up."

The two girls stopped in their tracks as their eyes met with three hovering figures in middle of the area. At a closer look, a girl sat on a tombstone only a few feet away.

Shai furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and Masako just looked on blankly. The latter was the first to step forward and walk towards the meeting, Shai suddenly snapped out of it and followed slowly behind.

"Hiya," Kaida raised a hand at the two newcomers, then let it fall on her lap. She studied the two quickly before turning her attention to the three shinigami in front of her.

"Hey," Shai replied uncertainly.

"Speak," Masako muttered.

Shai looked at her from the corner of her eye and backed away, leaning against a tombstone with her hands in her pockets. Masako, on the other hand, just crossed her arms and stood rooted to her spot.

Kaida turned her attention back to Masako and raised an eyebrow, then looked at Shai. The gamer shrugged and they both turned their eyes to Rem, Ryuk, and Ketsueki.

"The Shinigami King is not content with what Ketsueki has done," Rem began.

"And this information implies…?" Shai prodded on, suddenly nervous.

"The old man set up your deaths, that's what it implies," Ketsueki replied with a laugh.

Kaida froze on her tombstone and looked at the shinigami with a new glint in her eyes. "What?"

Ryuk sighed. "Happens every time…"

"…What?" Kaida repeated, only this time, it was directed to Ryuk.

"Ryuk, Ketsueki, please remain silent so I can explain," Rem turned a yellow eye to the three humans. "You are not the only ones this has happened to."

After a pause, Shai spoke up. "Proceed…"

"Our universe and your universe do not work as Ketsueki had originally informed you."

The three remain silent as Ryuk took over. "He told you that time didn't change and that the plot simply slid. That's not how it works."

"Ketsueki? What the hell?" Kaida glared at the said shinigami, who backed up a bit and looked at Rem.

"Are you sure we should be telling them this? I don't want to get into more trouble than I already am."

"This is all we can do to save them. Now be silent," Rem ordered with a warning note in her voice.

"Anyway, how it's _supposed _to work is a little more complicated. Rem can explain that for you," Ryuk said in a lazy tone.

There was a pause. "This has been a universe created by your kind's imagination. Though, one imagination isn't enough to create something like this. I am unsure of what the amount is, but when a certain number of people believe in something endlessly - such as this series, Death Note - then another universe will be created. This is the universe that others had created to fit their imaginations."

"Unlike what Mr. Pussy said over there-"

"Hey!"

"Time _can _be moved around. Shinigami can't move time around in the _real _world. That's beyond our power. But when other universes are created, there are different Time Gates you can go through."

"Time gates?" Masako furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

Ryuk sighed. "They're like portals or something. It's really hard to explain. I guess you could say wherever we end up is where we end up."

"That doesn't make sense," Shai concluded.

"There are different names for these portals, but for the sake of the matter, we'll call them Time Gates," Rem explained. "The Time Gates are spread between every realm. These gates not only have different places of time in this world, but the events of the universe vary as well."

"So what you're saying is that there are different versions of this world depending on what Time Gate you go through," Masako said with a tilted head.

"Yes. These versions were created by humans themselves, since everyone wishes for something to be different in the series. Time Gates are easier to create than actual universes, though they still require a certain amount of belief in order to make it so."

"And since there are so many people wanting so many different things, not all the ideas are made into reality," Ryuk finished.

"Question," Shai raised a hand. When the three shinigami looked at her, she put her hand back in her pocket. "So we passed into a Time Gate to get into this realm. I understand that part. So about those glitches…they're not really glitches? They're just something made up from someone's imagination?"

"That is correct," Rem answered patiently.

"So Light still in college and the age differences are just something a bunch of people made up," Kaida scrunched up her mouth and moved it to the side, thinking of more 'glitches.' "How the hell does _that _fit into someone's fantasy? They're just too small details to matter…right?"

"Fanfiction."

"Huh?" Kaida's ears perked at the student's reply.

"Do you know how many romance stories don't make sense unless you switch around their ages?"

"…Oh…"

"I bet you it's the same thing with how L easily let us into the Task Force. The _real _L would use previous accomplishments and tons of proof that you're actually smart in order to believe it."

"Same thing with Light…" Shai concluded alongside Masako.

"What does any of this have to do with us being in danger?" Masako questioned.

"Ohoho…_That's _another story," Ryuk laughed again.

"Let _me _explain it this time," Ketsueki eagerly insisted. His voice turned to a spooky tone as he said the following words. "The Shinigami King doesn't like it when people cross over to another universe…and lives to tell the tale."

It was then that the thought actually struck the three – they were in a cemetery. With dead people. Shinigami, who were also considered dead. They were surrounded by death.

And they would be next.

"You said there were others," Kaida observed, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees.

"Eh…well…" 

"Ketsueki's always bringing people to different universes. Every time someone walked into a universe, their fate changed. Summing it up, they would die in that world."

"What?" The girls exclaimed at Ryuk.

Ketsueki sighed and made a sarcastic reply. "Thanks, Ryuk."

Ryuk held up a hand. "Anytime."

"Explain yourself!" Masako demanded, her grip on her arms tightening.

Ketsueki shrunk back slightly, not liking the fact that he was being yelled at. "The Shinigami King was perfectly fine with me taking others into other universes cause they would just die anyway. If they had lived to share that secret, it would upset the balance in the human world. It would go haywire. But this time…"

"This time…" Shai once again prodded on when he paused for more than five seconds.

"This time, it doesn't work out that way."

Another pause.

"I don't understand," Masako muttered more to herself than anyone else.

"Your fates…are really confusing. Your life spans are changing. They weren't changing before, but every time you make a big decision, your life span changes. The Shinigami King doesn't like this."

"But you can't see my life span!" Shai raised her voice a bit to be heard, and also, out of complete confusion.

"Did I _say _I was talking about you?"

"Well, kinda-"

"But you said something about knowing a shinigami who took a human to another universe and their life span changed drastically at random times. What about him?" Masako asked.

Shai narrowed her eyes, and one could almost see the steam blowing out of her ears from being interrupted. She remained silent, though.

"Eh? Oh, I almost forgot about that," Ketsueki floated to the ground and his wings shrunk into his back. Masako shivered at the sounds it had made, while Kaida and Shai didn't react at all. "He ended up dying shortly after. The old man never said anything about it cause the guy was only in that world for about a week."

"Oh…"

"Your fates may have something to do with the spiritual connections," Rem suggested. She raised a finger and pointed to each one of us in turn as she went on. "Shai does not have her spiritual connection. If Kaida truly does have Shai's spiritual connection and Shai dies, her soul will remain in Kaida. If Kaida dies, Shai dies along with her."

"…That sucks…" Shai commented.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that, though. Since Kaida's spiritual connection is stronger than the average human's, fate doesn't affect her. She's not strong enough to fight death, but she'll have a better chance of surviving things and may escape once or twice. I'm not exactly sure how strong her connection is, but it seems strong enough to attract the crows."

"Aha! That's why they're following me!"

"They are following you?" Rem echoed.

"Yeah! Just yesterday I was at this same cemetery just looking around and all of a sudden these crows start landing on all these tombstones. It was really weird!" Kaida's voice held excitement, but if one would listen closely, she was still wary.

"They are trying to communicate with you. You need to learn how to listen to them. To speak with them."

"Learn? Ugh…work…But wait, why crows?"

"Crows are the most common connection to death. They understand it more than the human mind does. No one can explain it thoroughly. Us shinigami do not know of a reasonable explanation for why it was to be crows that have this connection."

"So…they can understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, and since you have a connection with them, they are most likely to listen to your demands."

"…Oh, crap…"

"What?" Shai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Just remember that when chaos breaks out, it wasn't my fault," Kaida held up both of her hands hand waved them a bit as if it would declare her innocence.

Shai merely narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

"Anymore questions?"

"Why are you warning us?" Kaida propped her chin up on her hands and looked at Rem with a worried gaze.

"Unlike others, I value human life. I told Ryuk and Ketsueki to come to Aoyama Cemetery tonight as to assist me in explaining these matters. I have never been to any other universe but this one, so I have no experience with crossing over to different realms. Not only is the Shinigami King setting up your death, but anyone who dies in another universe will have no where to go in the afterlife. Their souls are lost forever. It is unclear as to whether they are destroyed after death or not…But none of this is important. I am here to inform you of your dangers, and that is why I am here. Listen closely, Masako."

"Huh? Why me?"

"Shai cannot die as long as her spirit remains within Kaida. If her body is destroyed, she can just inhabit another one of her choosing. She is a free spirit since the ties to her body are broken, though they can return. With practice, Kaida can escape death as easily as it would be to flip a coin. While she may have this power, she is not skilled enough to perform this task yet. You, on the other hand, were destined to die today. Your life span grew again when it had reached to five seconds. If had not your life span changed, you would not have been standing here tonight. I do not know the meaning behind this, so you must be extra cautious with your life."

Masako's expression remained blank as she went through her explanation.

"You ok, buddy? You look a little…dead. And out of it. Are you listening?" Kaida dragged herself off the tombstone and waved her arm in front of Masako's face. "Masako…Masako! Wake up, Masako! Hey! Don't make me bring out the pens!"

The girl issued no response.

"She didn't even respond to the pens…the one threat that brings her back to Earth has failed. Masako! AWAKEN!" Shai ordered.

The said girl finally blinked. "Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me! Don't scare us like that; pay attention!"

"Uh – I was…wasn't I?"

"No! I've been trying to get your attention for the last 20 seconds, now."

"20 seconds? But I was just…nevermind. It's not important. Sorry…"

"Yeah, then don't do it again - this is important," Kaida went back to her tombstone and sat herself down roughly, whipping out a nail filer and gently sawing her nails.

"So anyway…what exactly is this death plan that the Shinigami King has in store for us?" Shai asked, veering off of the subject from before.

"I don't know. All I can say is to be prepared and don't let your guard down, if even for a second."

Ketsueki chuckled in the background, but it was so quiet that no one heard it but Ryuk.

"So Ketsueki lied to us because he couldn't tell us the real reason?" Shai said slowly, testing it on her tongue to try to ignite sense from those words. "I don't believe that."

"Well too bad, kiddo. That's all I'm gonna tell ya," Ketsueki flew higher into the air to the point where he loomed over everyone, staring hard at Shai. "If I told you everything I knew you'd force me to take you back. Nothing would be fun anymore." With that, Ketsueki flew off into the distance, crossing the path of the moon and momentarily causing a large shadow to sweep over the cemetery.

"Can't _you _take us back, Rem?"

"No. The spiritual connections are too unbalanced. If I took you back now, one of you may lose your life."

"Yeah. The ties could be even more disfigured if you go back and cause major problems. Not only that, but Kaida may have gotten some of Ketsueki's spiritual connection, too. And he's still pretty ticked that that's a possibility," Ryuk informed reluctantly.

"Ketsueki said that I could use the shinigami eyes," Kaida said.

"You need to train yourself to harness these powers that you have. You cannot do it alone, though. There are others before you that have been transported to this world. Ketsueki had told you that these people died," Rem answered.

"Well they did, didn't they?" asked Masako warily.

"Most of them did. There are others…whose fates are unknown, but they were assumed to be dead. Ketsueki reported to the Shinigami King that their lives had ended, though he is never entirely sure. There is no way he can know for sure unless he either comes here himself or another shinigami tells him. Since no other shinigami have been to this realm except for Ryuk, Ketsueki, and myself, it is highly unlikely to come across someone who had switched universes – especially since only Ketsueki handles the transportations. He doesn't bother with trying to kill those who live himself. The reason why is unknown to me. But listen to this, Kaida. I have recently come across someone who has been in hiding from the shinigami for quite some time and she may be of some use to you. I can only tell you that you have met her at least once during your stay in this world, and she resides in Aoyama." Rem turned her attention to all three of us again. "You will all encounter someone here who has originally come from your world. Seek them out. Save them. Gather help from them. Ban together and survive. It is your only hope in returning to your home."

There was a long silence. Everyone's gears were turning. Then:

"Others, huh? This is gonna be fun…" Masako said in a monotone.

"The Shinigami King had forbidden shinigami to speak of the ways of the universe to mere humans such as yourselves. Please carry this information wisely. Tell not a soul," Rem fell silent as if to signify that she was done with her explanations.

The fog weaved around the tombstones and into the shadows, waiting to enforce the fears of the three humans among the dead.

With no warning, Masako through her hand up in the air and brought it down again, pointing at Rem with a determined look on her face. "We'll find them. You'll see!"

Shai looked at Masako incredulously. "What the hell – why are you smiling like that? You were just upset a minute ago!"

Masako swung her hand around and pointed in Shai's direction. The latter, backed up a bit, staring at the finger warily. "Yeeees?"

"You'll see, too. We're going home." There was something strange that sparkled in her eyes. Shai maintained a confused expression before turning to Kaida, who shrugged.

"Is that all, Rem?" Kaida inquired quickly.

"That is all."

After Rem had said these words, a crow from the corner of the cemetery shot passed the shinigami, just above her shoulder, and glided to another tombstone on the other side of the graveyard.

"…What was that all about?" Shai stared at the crow as it flew to its new placement. She didn't regard the creature with much thought, unlike Kaida, who was staring intently at the spot in which the bird was so shadowed that she couldn't see it. Masako was too busy looking at the ground, murmuring something to herself very rapidly.

Ryuk shrugged. "Dunno, but if I guess that's all, I'll be leaving now." Wings grew from the shinigami's back as he began to fly away. He put up a hand. "Later."

Kaida snapped her head up. "Wait! Don't forget we need to finish our questioning!"

"Huh? Sorry, can't hear you!" One could note the sarcasm in Ryuk's voice as he flew away. Kaida narrowed her eyes and leapt off of the tombstone.

"It is twelve o'clock right now. Get some rest. For the time being, the danger is keeping its distance. Stay with L and the Task Force and you will be safe."

"Wait, wait, wait. _We _were trying to save _them_. How is this the other way around, now?"

"Do not do anything rash, Masako," Rem went on, completely ignoring what the girl had said before.

Masako blinked blankly at this.

"Think before you act. Do not-"

"I can't help it! I black out!"

"You need to learn not to do such things."

"But I...alright…I guess I'll try to think better next time." Kaida and Shai eyed Masako carefully. She seemed to be deep in thought, but it quickly disappeared and was replaced with a smile. "Thanks, Rem. We really appreciate you coming to us and letting us know this information." Masako bowed with her hands folded in front of her and straightened herself, making her way to the gate. She reached into her jacket pocket and flipped open her phone. "I'd better call Matt and tell him to come pick us up."

"Uh, right," Shai nodded quickly and bowed as well as Kaida. "Thanks for everything Rem," they both stated before they slowly made their way to Masako.

"Yeah, Matt? It's Masako. Can you come pick us up now?"

Rem watched as Masako laughed into the receiver and as Kaida and Shai stalked forward, their gazes holding uncertainty.

The crow that had changed tombstones earlier flew to the shinigami and rested on her shoulder. Its orbs stared into her eyes with those of wisdom and wariness.

"Watch over them and tell your master of the events that have taken place."

The crow cawed and did as she was told; spreading her wings and flying off in the direction of the moon.

**Me: Again, short chapter and I apologize for the lateness! *bows before audience***

**Mello: *smacks head* Save it, bitch. You made us wait. **_**Again**_**. **

**Me: Sorry, so sorry. It's my fault. I hope you guys will find it in your hearts to forgive me. 0~0 (failed puppy dog face)**

**Shai: Yyyeeeaaahh…Anyway…she didn't look over this chapter at all cause she felt terrible about updating late, so if you're confused about anything, let us know. **

**Ringo: *pat pat console console***

**Matt: *blows smoke* And if anyone hasn't figured out the stuff from the last chapter yet, don't worry about it. It's just a bunch of analyzing crap that we're all too lazy to do, so no harm no foul.**

**Me: It's all my fault…**

**Ringo: It's not your fault…**

**Kaida: *completely ignoring* Eternalsnowfox isn't sure what the next chapter's gonna be on, but this school week has a three day weekend. She won't make any **_**promises**_**, *insert glare here* but she'll be pumped to the point of writing some more and coming up with some ideas. **

**Me: I'll make time from now on! I promise!**

**Shai: Bah, save it!**

**Mello: Seriously. I wouldn't be surprised if you're hated by many right now. **

**Kaida: *sigh* She'll update eventually. Hang in there, you guys! See you next time! *waves***

**Ringo: Why do you always get to end-**

**Kaida: ME TIME! SHUT UP! *waves again* Bye!**


	29. Sickness

**Hey people. 2-3 weeks instead of a month. I'm on a roll. :) I was gonna have this chapter up two days ago, but I got sick and couldn't get around to it. Nothing really happens in this chapter, so sorry if it doesn't meet your expectations. There are a lot of breaks in this chapter; you've been warned. **

**Disclaimer: Yes. I own Death Note. That's why I'm on fanfiction writing a story. Totally makes sense OFCOURSEIDON'TOWNDEATHNOTEYOUMORONS! …Blah. :P**

* * *

"What makes you think _I _did it?"

"Well, you're an idiot, that's why I think you did it!"

"I'm not an idiot! I'm just…mentally impaired, sometimes!"

"…Idiot."

"Nuh uh!"

"Uhu!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uhu!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uhu!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uhu!"

"AHA!"

"No! You can't do that! That's mean! _Why _are you so mean? That doesn't count!"

"Does too."

"Does not!"

"Does too."

"Does not!"

"Does not."

"Does too!"

"AHA!"

"NO!"

"YES!" Shai threw her foot up onto the chair and put a fist in the air, signaling her victory.

"GUYS! Do I have to separate you two? Knock it off!" Kaida bit off of her chocolate bar angrily. After a long while of laughing herself silly at the two's current squabble, she had given into annoyance as she eyed the two in front of her with a merciless glare that would bring even Kira down to his knees.

Shai and Masako quickly straightened up and folded their hands, bowing their heads. "We're sorry."

"Good. Now get outta here."

They up righted themselves and fled to the door.

"And no fighting in the elevator!"

"Yes, Kaida," they both replied obediently.

As soon as the automatic doors closed, she turned her head to look at the rest of the Task Force. "And _that's _how it's done."

Everyone in the room looked at her like she was some sort of alien that spontaneously materialized in the back of a hot dog truck.

"I never knew that it took so much skill…" Matsuda scratched the back of his head in a rather perplexed state.

Aizawa stood from his seat, his computer left unattended. "Why would it take skill to do something like _that_? I mean yeah, even us as police officers couldn't get them to shut up, but you're their friend, so I don't see how it's such an accomplishment."

Kaida activated her glare and started to stare down the police officer. "Sit down, Aizawa."

He sweat dropped and quickly sat down. With no where to turn to escape the deathly gaze, he spun around in his chair and quickly tapped the keys of his computer, pretending to work.

"…Again…wow…you have so much power! I wish I could be like that!" Matsuda hyped up excitedly.

Kaida stared at Matsuda incredulously. "Not even if you trained under _me_ could you go that far."

The police officer gave off dejected waves. "Aw, why not?"

"Matsuda, you're a pussy."

Aizawa laughed into his hand, trying not to let anyone hear his amusement.

Matsuda crossed his arms and pulled a boyish pout.

"Kaida."

The said girl perked her ears and turned her head to L. This was a surprise to her since L almost never spoke to her. "Yeah?"

"I have a task for you to accomplish…"

* * *

Shai tapped her fingers on everything she touched, thinking about nothing in particular. She rocked back and forth on her heels in the elevator and checked her watch.

It was two in the morning and she was tired. She glanced over at Masako, who was staring at the floor spacing out. Turning her gaze to the floor as well, Shai began to speak.

"Hey…I'm not going to apologize for being honest - you seriously need to use your head next time. A normal person wouldn't try to escape the building by jumping off the roof and ask to go to a cemetery afterwards. You should've known that it was dangerous, and – Masako? Are you listening to me?" Agitated, Shai snapped her fingers in front of Masako's face.

"Hm? Wha...?"

The gamer narrowed her eyes and stared hard at the door. "Nevermind. It wasn't important."

The doors opened and Shai paused on the way out, her hand resting on the doorframe. "Get some sleep. You look terrible." She advised over her shoulder.

Masako nodded. "Yeah, thanks," she muttered sarcastically. "Will do."

When the elevator doors closed, she pushed the highest number and walked to the corner of the elevator, sinking down to the floor. She yawned loudly and looked up at the elevator lights, letting them blind her before she rapidly blinked and looked away, regaining her sight. She was suddenly interested in the pattern on the floor, which was odd since it was a plain steel elevator.

All of a sudden her eye twitched and she pulled a hand to her head, a confused expression on her face. A spasm went up her spine and made her jerk her head, a shiver following after.

"Maybe…I'll just stay here for a bit…"

* * *

"Must…play…can't…play…must…can't…mu – ok, if you insist." Shai stalked over to her Playstation system with a creepy smile on her face. "I'm tired, but I think I can stay up a bit longer. I need to do something to get my mind off of recent events anyway…"

She reached into a box next to her TV and pulled out a game, the plastic still enveloping the case. "Yesssss….." she droned as she ripped the plastic open slowly. Everything after that was a blur to her and before she even realized it, the TV screen had lit up and she was tapping the buttons on her controller with a speed that would make a gamer proud.

This continued on for the entire night.

* * *

Kaida walked out of the elevator in a daze. As soon as she had entered the elevator, a wave of exhaustion had hit her to its fullest. Now she was walking to a door, not caring where she was going – as long as there was a bed somewhere nearby, she didn't care.

Reaching out for the knob, she turned it and pushed the door open slowly, her eyes wandering around the floor before looking up at the figure before her.

At first, Kaida couldn't comprehend who it was. Her eyes widened when her brain had processed that it was Mello, who was standing over a computer screen wearing only black boxers.

Her face went red and she was out of the room ten times faster than she had come in. "PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" She screamed in the direction of his room. She raced to the elevator and repeatedly pushed the button that would take her to her floor, more awake now than ever.

Though, she was still too tired to notice the figure crouched in the corner of the small space.

* * *

June 11, 2010

4:45 a.m.

"Matt…Matt…MATT!"

The gamer jerked up from where he was laying on the couch. "Hn…wha…?"

"You're not sleeping here. The last thing we need to hear is snoring," Aizawa demanded while pointing at the door. He was hovering over the couch, waiting for him to move.

"Nah, I don't snore…" Matt scratched the back of his head with fatigue. He yawned and stretched.

"I don't want to take my chances. Now move."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed for a bit, Ryuzaki. If you need anything, my computer's on." L didn't respond as Matt raised himself from the couch and headed towards the elevator. Aizawa claimed his 'special spot' and grabbed his laptop from the coffee table to pull up on his lap.

"Ryuzaki, are you ok?"

The said detective dragged his eyes to the teenager he was handcuffed to. "Yes. Why?"

Light gave him a worried look. "You've been holding your fork for the past five minutes and have yet to use it. Is something wrong?"

"Hm…I guess I'm just not that hungry," he droned, looking down at his computer monitor. "Though…something doesn't feel right…"

"What doesn't?" Light's eyebrows came together as he gave the three greatest detectives a skeptical look.

"I'm not-"

"Guys, we have a problem."

Everyone in the room turned their gaze to whom they thought had just left. Matt had came in with heavy footsteps, due to carrying a certain girl on his back.

L set down his fork and jumped from his chair, making quick and long strides to the unconscious teenager while dragging Light along with him. He put a hand up to Masako's forehead. "Fever."

"She's out cold. She didn't even move when I picked her up."

"I see…Watari," L turned to his computer. One of the monitors up on the wall lit up with an English W.

"Yes, sir."

"Please fetch the required materials to cure a fever."

"As you wish," the W disappeared and the screen turned black again.

"This isn't the best place for her to rest, Matt. Take her up to her room," Light suggested with concern.

Matt let out a huff as he shifted his grip to prevent Masako from sliding off of his back. "K…"

* * *

5:10 a.m.

"I've done it…I've done it!" Shai looked maniacally at the case of her game, smiling in a sadistic way. "Haha…hahaha…AHAHAHAHAHA!" She leapt from her spot on the floor and raced to the elevator with her game in hand, laughing to herself all the way. "I beat it! I beat it!"

She pushed a button and found herself in the computer room. Shai raced towards the middle of the room, shoving the game in front of her and holding it up for everyone to see. "I've done it!" she kept repeating. There were bags under her eyes and her glasses had fallen off ages ago. Her breathing was ragged and she looked pale from not getting enough sleep.

"You…opened the case? Congratulations?" muttered Matsuda in a sleepy, dragged out voice. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms from where he was sitting.

"No, you idiot! I beat it! The game! I beat it! _Finally_!" Shai raced in the direction of the door. Before she made it, however, it opened to reveal Kaida. She stepped out warily and her eyes snapped open when Shai passed her with a _swoosh_. "Ahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kaida blinked her large eyes and stared at the Task Force, who had yet to go home since it was so early in the morning. She gave them a look that questioned Shai's behavior, but when she got no response, she blinked again. "I'm going back to bed," Kaida swung herself around lazily and walked through the automatic doors. She then pushed the button on the elevator, which opened on command. She gave the space a skeptical look since she assumed that Shai would be taking the elevator. That is until the chocoholic heard her insane laughter coming from the stairs to her right.

Kaida narrowed her eyes, but shrugged and stepped into the elevator, pushing the button to go up to her floor. "That's the last time I wake up early."

* * *

6:45 a.m.

A flash of light made the girl jerk her eyes open. At first, she was confused as to where she was. Then, she heard a voice.

"Wake up, Kaida. We need to talk."

Kaida blinked groggily, trying to get rid of the sleepiness that claimed her lazy mind. "Hn…wha?" When her eyes finally began to adjust, another light in the center of that light showed even brighter. At closer inspection, it was a lit match.

"Fire!" Kaida beamed and was awake in an instant, snapping her arm up to grab the match. She didn't get to it in time, though, since someone pulled it back and snuffed it out. "What the hell-" she stopped when the person with the match turned out to be Mello. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him oddly, then narrowed her eyes and buried herself under her covers. "I'm tired. Why'd you wake me up?"

"It's about Nagawa."

Kaida raised her eyebrow from under her thick blanket, but didn't respond as he went on.

"She has a fever. A bad one, actually. We can't get it to break. She's been unconscious for a few hours, and she's currently being watched over."

"Not that I don't care or anything, but you woke me up just for that? I mean, it's not like she's gonna die, right?"

Mello remained silent.

Kaida sat up and looked him in the eye. "Right?"

The light of the bedroom showed that he was already dressed in his usual black attire, and also uncovered the horrendous fact that it was 6:47 in the morning.

"It's unlikely, but if her fever doesn't break soon…"

"…Oh…" was all Kaida managed to get out.

"Nagawa won't be able to make it to school today, obviously, so the investigation is on hold." Mello rose from his seat on the side of the bed and made his way to the door. "Remember that thing that L asked you to do?"

"You know about that?"

"Yeah. Near's the one that requested it to be done."

Kaida raised her eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

With a nod, Mello turned around to look at her. "Let me know if you find anything suspicious. I'll have Matt keep Shai away from her room for the time being."

"Alright, but I'm telling you, there's nothing to be suspicious about."

"You know Masako's been acting funny lately and L sensed something off about Shai. Just go check, that's all you have to do. And since Masako is sick, we can take advantage of this opportunity and find what we need."

"But why me, again?"

"If you were caught wandering around in their rooms, they wouldn't think much of it. If one of the Task Force members or us successors were found, they would probably think something was up, right?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess that makes sense."

"Look, it's not a big job. Make sure to check Masako's computer, too. She broke into Watari's weaponry room yesterday."

"L told me about that. But why would she brake into it?"

"She used some things to escape the rooftop. We're still not sure how she knew how to break in without setting off the alarm."

Kaida leaned her head back on her bed post deep in thought. "Alright…"

"See to it that you find something useful and report it to L," Mello reached for the door knob.

"I'll try," she replied as he left. Quietly to herself, she added, "Depends on what it is, though…"

* * *

10:47 a.m.

Shai stretched and blinked wearily, not even bothering to take in her surroundings before she stood up. She knew she was in her room, anyway. She probably just crashed on the couch when she was done with her gaming session.

Boy was she wrong.

The gamer went wide-eyed as she stared out at the sky. Glancing around, she realized that she was on the roof.

"Um…what the hell? Why am I here?" After moving her head in various directions, her gaze rested on yet another gamer leaning up against the railing. He had a cigarette in his mouth and he was tapping away at a DS. Shai entered a dazed state, wondering whether or not this was a dream. "Matt?"

"What?"

"…Why are you here?"

He looked up from his game. "I followed you."

As happy and giddy as that would have made her, Shai found it slightly creepy. "…Because…?"

"I couldn't sleep with you running around screaming your head off. So I followed you to make sure you didn't kill yourself or anyone else, for that matter. You collapsed here, so I decided to just wait here since I have nothing better to do…but sleep…" he added grudgingly.

"Well as much as I appreciate – I was running around screaming?"

"You don't remember, do ya?"

"No. I don't…"

"Ok, then what's the last thing you remember?"

"I was talking to Masako in the elevator, and then I sat in front of my TV to play Monster Hunter. That came out with Playstation a few days ago, did you know that? So awesome…" Shai smiled to herself.

"Yeah, it's a pretty sweet game. Beat it in about two hours."

Shai looked down from her fantasy in the sky and glared at Matt. "Shut. Up."

"Hehehe…Anyway, you said you were talking to Masako in the elevator?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She collapsed in the elevator a few hours ago."

"What?"

"Did she say anything weird before you left?"

"Uh…" Shai thought for a moment. "Not really. I was talking to her, but she wasn't hearing me, apparently. She was spacing out. What does she have?"

"A fever, and it's kinda serious."

"A fever? Of all things? Really?"

"109."

"Damn," Shai blinked in surprise and moved her gaze to the concrete floor. "Wonder how it managed to get that far. Can you guys bring it down at all?" She was now looking at Matt, worry slightly grazing her eyes.

"Not now, no. For the first few hours it was slowly increasing, but it finally stopped last time I checked, which was about three hours ago. I'm not sure what it's at now, though."

"What're you going to do about the investigation?" Shai asked warily. She secretly hoped that she didn't have to go in Masako's place.

"It's on hold."

"I see," Shai knitted her eyebrows in thought as she tried to grab a hold of the situation. "Did you get any sleep?"

"A bit. Aizawa woke me up."

"Go get some sleep. I'm fine now."

Matt closed up his DS and placed in his pocket. "Alright. Not like I have anything better to do anyway. You feelin' ok, now?"

"I'll live," Shai stretched and made her way inside. "Oh, and by the way," she stopped in her tracks and turned around. "What exactly _was _I yelling last night?"

"Ah...just that you beat your game. You also kept yelling that I was the most awesomest person in the world," Matt threw his hands behind his head with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Eh...really?"

He nodded. "Yep."

After looking him over from head to toe, Shai narrowed her eyes. "I didn't say that."

"I know..." he replied in a slightly dejected tone.

* * *

5:03 p.m.

The computer room was lit up with only few computers. A few Task Force members went to their homes a while ago, except for Matsuda. He was currently resting on his floor, even though he slept through most of his work hours the day before. The only people in the room were L, Light, and Kaida. The rest were catching up on sleep.

Kaida narrowed her eyes from the corner of the room. Her head turned to look out over the city from the small inside window ledge that she somehow managed to squeeze into. In her hands was a fiction vampire book of some sort, but she didn't seem to be paying much attention to it. She was too busy irritated with the fact that she couldn't get her task over with until night fell. She had yet to ask Mello why she had to wait, and she didn't feel like bringing it up at this point in time.

Feeling impatient, she turned her attention back to her book of guts and gore. Hopefully, this would get her mind off of things.

She was brought back to reality when she sensed something interesting was going to happen. She didn't know what it was, but she had a feeling it was coming very soon. Curious, she lifted her gaze to one of the monitors on the wall. "Hey look, there's Aizawa," Kaida pointed out to no one in particular. No one was paying attention.

The police officer was just outside the building, trying to swat away a black bird that seemed to be trying to peck him. After a few more seconds, a few more birds appeared. If Kaida didn't know any better, she would say that those were crows.

"Mfh! Get off of me!" he ordered as he now used both of arms to try to scare them away.

"Huh…?" L's monotonous voice seemed to resound in his throat as he finally turned his gaze to one of the higher monitors.

Light looked up as well, his eyes narrowing with disbelief. "Are those…crows?"

"I believe so, Light," L answered.

"What the hell is this? Get off! Off of me! Hey now!" Kaida giggled with amusement as she watched Aizawa struggle. The crows continued to rip at his clothes, causing numerous tears and scratches. Light and L did nothing but stare in bewilderment as Aizawa swung at the birds, feathers zipping through the air before slowly floating to the ground.

Kaida tried her best not to burst out laughing as he grew more and more agitated. She turned her head away from the monitor, and under her breath, she whispered something inaudible to the others. Then, her gaze returned to the monitor with a look of authority in her eyes and an amused smile on her face.

"Back! NOW!" The crows scattered as Aizawa dusted off his pants, wiped his forehead, and picked up his briefcase. He inspected his clothes. "Oh, great. The Task Force is never gonna believe this one. Neither is my wife…" He swung his briefcase over his shoulder and walked to his car.

"Huh? You're kidding!" Aizawa inspected his now slashed tires from where he was standing and glared at the two crows on the roof of his car. "Hey! Shoo!" The police officer gave a swing of his hand and the two crows flew off into the distance, cawing a few times before slowly fading out. "Alright, then. I'll just have to take a bus…"

Once the police officer disappeared from the monitor, Kaida calmed down and nodded, a small smirk engraved onto her face. She turned her attention back to her book and continued reading as if nothing happened.

* * *

11:56 p.m.

"Come on, it's been all day. When am I supposed to go?"

"She's most likely not to wake up at this hour."

"She's been sleeping all day!"

"Just go take care of it now."

"Where is she now?"

"Her room, but she's sleeping. Now's your chance."

Light was pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to rid himself of the throbbing pain in his head.

Kaida pushed the button on the elevator, leaving the computer room and waiting for the elevator to reach Masako's floor. Once the doors opened, she looked around quickly and warily before she stepped in.

The room had been tidied up and everything was back in its normal place. The clock had been fixed and now read 11:57. Kaida stepped quietly through the living room, determined not to wake Masako in her room. Searching the room didn't take as long as she thought. She couldn't find anything suspicious.

Now determined, she quietly opened the door to Masako's bedroom and stepped in, the white walls ready to distinguish her from everything else if Masako was to catch her in the act. She practically held her breath as she tiptoed around the room, looking for anything that stood out.

Everything had been cleaned up if anything was left out. It made Kaida wonder why no one had checked her room then instead of making her do it now. Resisting the urge to sigh, she tiptoed over to Masako's laptop and grazed her finger across the mouse pad, making sure that her body was shielding from the room as much of the newfound light as possible.

Many windows were pulled up, but none that could help her. With tired eyes, she blinked rapidly while trying to adjust to the bright light and glanced through the history.

Everything had been cleared except for yesterday. Kaida narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but clicked on yesterday's tab anyway. Only a few sites had been visited, and there were about two that seemed unfamiliar to Kaida. She brought up the two and skimmed them over quickly. There didn't seem to be enough information on either of the sites to be able to tell how to break into a room without setting off an alarm. The information just went on about the different types of wires that go to what, but they didn't say anything about getting the keypad open without something happening.

Kaida glanced at the time at the bottom corner of the screen. 11:59. Only two minutes passed and she was already done. She smirked.

"What are you doing?"

The chocoholic nearly jumped when a voice reached her ears. Dreading the fact, but turning nonetheless, her wary eyes met Masako's seemingly sick ones. "Um…just looking at stuff. There was this site that I went on before, but I couldn't remember what it was. So I was hoping that you went on that site, too. I was just checking…"

"…Don't lie to me," her voice underwent a surprising monotone and her eyes went more dull than they were before.

Kaida's eyebrows twitched in confusion as she stared at Masako, trying to find some excuse. "I'm not lying. Why would I lie?"

"You're here under L's orders, aren't you?"

There it was again. That same, creepy, monotone voice. Kaida retreated back a step, wondering just how Masako had known that L told her to search her room. "Why would you think that?"

"Answer the question."

"No. He didn't send me."

"Liar!"

Kaida blinked quickly and retreated back another step, taken aback by how loud her voice was and how irritated she sounded.

Her voice returned to its original happy state. "But that's ok, I guess. How else could I have broken into that room…?" she laughed. "Leave now, please. I'm feeling quite better, but I still need to rest."

"…Right…" Kaida walked quickly out of the room and closed the door, rushing to the elevator.

Inside her room, Masako frowned. The sounds of feet ruffling the carpet were barely heard as she seemed to glide over to her computer. Masako eyed the computer with a glare and turned it to the door. After a few moments, she smiled sadistically. "Hnhnhn…"

* * *

**Me: I was gonna put in more, but I looked at the page numbers and was like eh, what the hell why go on, right? Haha. I know I'm a little late, but Happy Halloween, everybody! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, L! :D I'll give you all of my candy from Halloween, how does that sound?**

**L: Really?**

**Me: Well…I'll give you half of my candy.**

**L: Half?**

**Me: Ok…I'll give you one chocolate bar.**

**L: …Aw… *sulks off dejectedly to corner***

**Mello: *pops up out of no where* Chocolate?**

**Me: I'm not giving you any. Shoo, now.**

**Shai: Hey…you're kinda creepy at the end of this chapter. o.O**

**Me: You'll see why later.**

**Kaida: I always knew you were a creeper.**

**Me: Riiiiiiiight…**

**Ringo: And a little bipolar, too…**

**Me: *punches dramatically across Ringo's face* No one asked you.**

**Kaida: See ya guys later! Reviews would be nice! ;) **


	30. Awakening

**Shai: Excuse me? Can I help you with something?**

…

**Shai: Oh, I see. You're here to read the chapter, aren't you?**

…

**Shai: Yes, right. Well, ESF updated only 6 days ago, so we still have a few weeks yet. **

…

**Shai: Really? That's impossible. She couldn't have updated. I don't believe it. Go home.**

…

**Shai: Sorry, but she didn't update. I know it's hard, but take it like a man and just leave. I can't – OH MY KIRA YOU'RE RIGHT! There are words on this screen! YAY!**

…

**Shai: …Yes. I do realize that I was momentarily oblivious. I have an excuse, though - unlike **_**someone**_** I know cough **_**Masako**_** cough I was too involved with Monster Hunter, so it's kind of hard to stay awake. **

…

**Shai: Riiiiiight…Well, I'm off to read the next chapter. But before I go, here's the disclaimer. Take it away, Matt! **

**Matt: Eternalsnowfox doesn't own Death Note or any songs in this chapter; otherwise she wouldn't be on fanfiction. *continues playing DS game* Later, gators. **

* * *

June 12, 2010

Saturday, 7:00 a.m.

_I don't think that you wanna be a part of me_

_I don't think you wanna see the deeper darker side of me_

_I don't think that you're ready for reality_

_I do-_

A loud smack could be heard throughout the apartment. The rock music stopped playing on hearing the smack and silence followed. The bed's occupant groaned and shifted, not wanting to get out of bed just yet.

"Gah…five more minutes…" he murmured into his pillow. After a few seconds of an internal struggle, he sighed and pushed himself off his bed with average effort before climbing out and going through his daily routine. Shower, clothes, breakfast, and racing out the door before the old man on the third floor woke up and started nagging him for the rent.

The blonde haired boy shut the door behind him and stepped out on the street, checking his watch. Sighing, he started off down the sidewalk through the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, with no place in mind to go to.

* * *

Mai went through the back of her store on the tips of her toes since everything was such a mess. She was wearing heels, and it really wouldn't be a good thing if she stepped on something. "Where is it?" She opened one of the boxes and let out a cough as dust collided with her face. "Uh…where is it?" she repeated as she leafed through the murky brown box. Its contents were anything but satisfying to her. Mai soon gave up and closed up the box, shoving it away to no where in particular.

A few chimes could be heard throughout the shop. "Oh, that's my cue," Mai whispered under her breath. She tiptoed around her boxes and items sprawled out on the floor and straightened herself up before emerging from the gold and purple beads of the doorway. "Good mor…ning," she was caught by surprise when she saw a blond enter her shop. "Oh, hey DJ."

"I already told you, that's not my name here."

"Right. Sorry, Ringo. What's up?"

Ringo scratched his head of shaggy hair and made his way to the counter, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the marble top. "Just chillin'. It's another boring day, as usual."

"You're not your normal self today, Ringo. You're usually full of energy."

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just tired, that's all. I really didn't want to get up this morning," he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head again.

Mai laughed. "I know the feeling," her face turned serious as she continued. "Did anything happen at school?"

"Not really. Masako didn't show up yesterday. Kin-chan tried to get a hold of her cell phone, but no one would pick up. I texted her last night, but she didn't text me back so I'm thinking something might be up."

"Maybe she's just sick…" Mai suggested thoughtfully as she played with her hair.

"Yeah maybe, but she was fine on Thursday. I mean, it was only her first day at school. Kin-chan and the others think that they scared her away with those transferring stories."

"Transferring stories?"

"The murders that were passed off as accidents and how a lot of students were transferring out."

"Oh, I see. No, Masako wouldn't do that. L's making her go for the investigation."

"I know, but still…"

There was a long silence.

"Do you think she's one of them?" Mai asked carefully.

It took a moment, but Ringo shook his head. "Probably not. It's possible, though. She _is _friends with Kaida, after all. I wanna know what her ability or malfunction is so we can work our way around that."

Mai nodded with determination. "I'll have Karasu look into that."

Ringo nodded. "Right. Anything going on with Kaida?" Ringo asked after heaving a sigh.

"Karasu informed me that the three have learned of the universes two nights ago by Rem."

Ringo tapped the tips of his fingernails against the counter. "That might be the reason why Masako was absent from school yesterday…"

"That's most likely the case. But L wouldn't let her just stay at headquarters because she doesn't want to go, right? Obviously she faked being sick," Mai concluded.

"No."

"No?"

"She didn't fake being sick. There's more to it than that…"

"Senses kicking in again?"

"Yeah."

Mai smiled. "Well, I'm sure she's gone for a good reason. If she's not back on Monday, you can worry about it then."

"You're probably right," though, he had an unsettled look on his face.

Mai smiled again sweetly and rested her hand on top of Ringo's head. His eyes wandered up to hers in a tired state. "Just don't worry about it. I'll figure out what's going on, ok?" She ruffled his hair.

"Alright. Thanks, Mai-chan."

Mai's hand went back to her own hair and she began to play with it again. "I think you should-!"

Ringo's foot met the top of the counter as he pushed himself over it, barely avoiding Mai and doing a flip for speed before landing on the other side.

The door just then opened and chimes rang throughout the shop. "Hiya, Mai," Kaida greeted as she stepped into the shop. "I have something I wanna talk to you about."

"Uh…" Mai hesitated, still shaken up from Ringo's sudden stunt. "Yeah, sure. Come here."

Kaida did as she was told and took a shiny necklace from her neck, letting it rest in the palm of her hand and leveling the chain out so the weight on one side wouldn't drag it to the floor. She held it out for Mai to see.

"Is this thing a locket or something?"

Mai took the necklace from her hand and smiled. "Yes, it is a locket."

"I can't get it open," Kaida informed with agitation slightly grazing her voice.

The shopkeeper laughed. Kaida looked hat her with a confused expression. "What?"

Mai gradually ceased her laugh-like giggle and returned the necklace to Kaida. "It will only open when you are ready."

"…What?"

Mai nodded.

Kaida's eyebrows furrowed and glanced at the necklace before returning her confusion back to Mai.

The latter closed her eyes for a time and opened them again, a determined smile on her face. "Kaida, I want you to close your eyes."

"…Whyyy?" Kaida dragged out, unsure as to where she was going with this.

"Just do it."

Kaida hesitantly closed her eyes.

"I want you to clear your mind of everything. Everything that's been bothering you lately. Everything that's been on your mind."

Erasing her mind wasn't a simple task, but after about a minute, she managed to keep her thoughts at a minimum and cleared it the best she could.

Mai reached out a finger and lightly touched between her eyes, holding it there. "I want you to open your senses and focus on this and this only."

After about two minutes, Mai released her finger from her forehead. "Now open your eyes."

Kaida's eyes flickered open. She was dazed at first, but when she slowly started coming back to reality, her eyes widened at what she saw.

Above Mai's head were numbers.

Orange numbers.

And a jumbled up name.

Confused, her eyes returned to Mai who was smiling. Why was she smiling?

"Feel any different?" she asked.

"A…a little," she lied. She didn't just feel a little different. She felt _a lot _different. But it was a good kind of different. The numbers above her head were distracting this feeling, however.

"Do you see it?"

Unable to form words, Kaida settled for nodding. She already knew what the shopkeeper was talking about.

"Can you read them clearly?"

"N-no. They're all jumbled. The letters and numbers…I can't read them."

"Good. You have accomplished opening your eyes, Kaida."

"My…eyes," she tested these words on her tongue before focusing her eyes back on Mai.

"You just need to focus and train. You need to practice the powers you have for when the time comes, you will need them."

Kaida furrowed her eyebrows. "That's all it took? Focus?"

Mai nodded with a cheery smile on her face. "That's right!" Her eyes sparkled with pride behind her clean, square glasses.

"How did you know I had the ability to use the eyes?"

Mai's eyes closed, and ever so slowly opened after a few seconds, revealing solid, creepy, cold, death-like eyes.

The Shinigami's eyes.

"In a way…I'm just like you, Meagan."

Kaida's eyes widened at not only the change in her eyes, but the use of her real name as well. "How…how do you know my real name?"

"Karasu is very informative."

"K-Karasu?"

"To you, she is known as the sidewalk crow."

Kaida's mouth dropped open. "The one that's been following me everywhere?"

Mai nodded and blinked quickly, her red eyes turning back to normal in a flash. "That's correct. Rem told you during your meeting that you needed to go through training to understand the crow. The time for you to die is still far off, but with each passing day, the threat is getting stronger."

Kaida silently gulped and looked at Mai nervously.

"I will be your mentor and Karasu will be your guide. I know this may seem sudden, since this is only our second meeting, but this is important and it must be done as quickly as possible."

"Does this mean that you were from another universe, too?"

"My story is not important at this time, and it is not information I would like to share with you right now."

Kaida nodded and scratched her arm with her long, black nails, unsure as to what to do next. "So…?"

"You will begin tomorrow. I have things to take care of today. Meet me at the park that's just down the street at 2 a.m."

"2 a.m.?" Kaida yelled with shock. "I sleep at that time!"

"No one will be out at two in the morning. Not only that, but your powers will advance faster during the night. A full moon is in a few days, and that is when your powers will be its strongest, which is the perfect time to train."

"Alright…"

"You may go, now. I have things to do."

"Right," Kaida turned and made quick paces to the door, wanting to be out of the shop as soon as possible.

"Oh, and Kaida?"

She stopped and turned slightly. "Yeah?"

"Keep an eye on your little sick friend."

There was something in her tone of voice that made Kaida believe that it wasn't a matter of looking after Masako and protecting her until she got better. It was to be wary of something dangerous. In this case, someone.

Kaida nodded and opened the door, the bell signaling her leave. She walked down the street, eyes deactivated, and thinking about what she had just been told.

Why does she have to be careful of Masako?

Was she really that dangerous?

Kaida sighed, but then made a face displaying distaste. "Damn…I'm gonna be getting up _early _from now on," she spat the word with such venom that not even poisonous snakes could match her hiss.

* * *

Masako skipped into the computer room, her stuffed purple elephant in hand. "Good morning, everybody~!"

"Hey, Masako! Feeling better?" Matsuda asked in a cheery voice. He was up before anyone else since he slept most of the day away yesterday once again. The rest of the Task Force had yet to arrive since it was only 7:30.

"Yeppers! Better than ever!" she exclaimed back.

"Well, looks like you're back to normal," Light commented. "Great," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" Masako took a step towards Light and moved her hair out of the way of her ear as a signal to speak louder.

"Huh? Nothing…I didn't say anything…" Light went back to his computer casually as if nothing happened.

Masako let down her hair and shrugged. "Alright," she hummed to herself as she started spinning a few times before popping up beside L. "You gonna eat that?"

L's eyes traveled to his strawberry shortcake and then blankly back to Masako. "I was planning on it."

Before he could even finish his sentence, the cake had disappeared beneath his nose and Masako was already sitting in a corner, viciously devouring the stolen cake. She looked up at L and smiled cutely before digging in again.

L did nothing but sigh and look at his tea. Light gave Masako a look, but said nothing while Matsuda just resumed his work, or at least appeared to. There was nothing out of the ordinary here.

Not long after this happened, an empty plate of crumbs quickly materialized on the desk in front of the detective. He looked up to find the girl licking her lips and smiling widely.

"I don't appreciate this behavior," he droned.

"You're just peeved cause I took your cake," Masako declared with a nod full of certainty.

L's eyes seemed to harden as he looked Masako over. "Did you sleep well?"

She raised an eyebrow at the question, but nodded nonetheless.

"Then perhaps you could subject yourself to questioning."

"Wait, what?" she asked.

L merely stared at her as if to say 'you heard me.'

Masako pressed her mouth in a thin line before huffing and sitting down in a chair next to him. "Alright, make it quick," she answered in a sudden monotone. Her voice had a slight mischievous feel to it, which would've went unnoticed by the entire Task Force - if they were there, that is – except for L and Light.

"Where were you on the night of July 10 of this year?"

"Um…my floor? Hell if I remember."

Light's eyes narrowed at her sudden change in attitude. "Fine, then maybe you'd like to tell us how you got into Watari's weaponry room without setting off an alarm."

"Hehe…" Masako gave a creepy smile before continuing. "If that's all you wanted answered, then why didn't you ask that first?"

"We're asking the questions, here," Light insisted calmly as he leaned forward slightly in his chair with his arms on the armrests.

"Alright, alright. You caught me," she put up her hands. "I broke into Watari's weaponry room."

"We already _know _you did. The question is _how _you did it."

"Oh, you know. You're a genius, after all. I'm sure you can figure it out without my help," she closed her eyes and threw her feet up on the desk, crossing them while putting her hands behind her head and smiling mischievously.

"You're being difficult," Light commented.

"No, you're just being easy," Masako opened her eyes slightly to where they were slits and stared at the two geniuses. "Give me something to work with, here."

"Look, whatever you're trying to pull, you can just forget it! It's not going to work, here!" Light was now gripping his armrests to where his knuckles were turned white.

She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes once more. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

L simply observed, confused just as much as the next person.

"Are you going to tell us, or will we have to use force?" Light suggested more calmly now.

"There's no secret to it, Light. I looked on the internet, and I just happened to get useful information. That's all," Masako shrugged her shoulders.

"Those keypads were specially designed just for this building. You're telling me that you only used two websites to open something as delicate as a keypad with an alarm?"

"Huh? I never specified how many…_Kaida_," she spat with disdain. "I knew you were up to no good," she said to herself with a strange look in her eye.

"You're caught, Nagawa. Now tell us the truth," Light insisted.

"There's really no truth to it."

"…What?"

"There's no truth, because I don't remember how I got in anyway."

The two geniuses stared at her incredulously, wondering if this was really her next excuse.

"You…can't remember…how you got in…" Light said to himself slowly, as if to test how it felt on his tongue.

Masako nodded with a happy smile on her face. "Nope, not at all! You see, I looked online for guidance. I wasn't really sure what I was doing when I was messing with that keypad. I just had a stroke of luck, that's all."

L narrowed his eyes and turned himself towards his computer. "Then what do you suppose this suggests?" He pushed a button on his computer and a video materialized on the largest monitor in place of Misa, who was still being monitored through other screens on the sides.

The video showed the door to the weaponry room, the door locked and the keypad in its original place before it was tampered with. Masako walked in stiffly through the elevator, acting as if there was nothing wrong with breaking and entering. It was hard to see from the angle that the camera was placed, but if one would look closely, her eyes were duller than ever and she looked as if she was in a daze. She took a screwdriver out of her sweatpants pocket and started undoing the screws. Once this was accomplished, she reached her hand inside the keypad without looking. She must have done something in there, because the automatic door had opened. She blinked rapidly and put the keypad back in its place sloppily as if her smarts on the subject had left her and she was shown shaking her head, trying to get it back on with the screwdriver.

"I've looked at recent videos before that. No where does it show that you had retrieved a screwdriver," L commented.

"Not only that, but it looked like you knew what you were doing when you put your hand inside that keypad since you weren't even looking. Do you want to explain that?"

Masako scoffed. "Luck."

"It's confusing…" L continued, more to himself to anyone else. "You seem to know what you're doing up until the doors open…I wonder why this is."

"Oh, I don't know," the girl smiled and withdrew her hands from her head, putting them on the armrests of her chair. "Maybe I was…_possessed_," she smirked with the same strange look in her eye.

Light and L observed her carefully, but it was Light who spoke first. "Again, another excuse. Stop coming up with stupid things and accept the fact that you're caught." L just stared on warily.

"Hn…hn…hnhn…" Masako giggled at first, and then her laugh grew gradually louder until she suddenly burst into hysterics. She sounded strangely demented, and the two geniuses could do nothing but stare once more at the girl in front of them. Matsuda, forgotten this entire time, was sitting at a desk on the other side of the room and now thankful for his position. Kaida scared him, and he had come to the conclusion that at this point, whatever drug Masako was on made her scarier than Kaida.

After about twenty seconds of laughing, she started to get herself under control. Her laughing had ceased to giggling and slowly came to a stop. She ended her show with a sigh and let go of her stomach, which she was clutching from the pain of laughing so hard.

"You're right, Light. I was just joking! How could something like that happen, anyway? It's completely absurd. Maybe I'm just crazy…" she said the last sentence seemingly to herself and she threw her hands behind her head once more, smiling softly to herself before it turned creepy and she turned her gaze to the handcuffed men. "What do you think, L? You've been surprisingly silent. Care to share your thoughts?" she asked in a taunting tone.

He thought for a moment. "…Perhaps maybe you _are_ mentally ill…" he suggested as he turned back to his keyboard. The insomniac pushed a button on his laptop and the image of Masako and the weaponry room disappeared, replacing that with Misa's sleeping image under her bed covers.

Masako's eyes read objection because of the knowledge that L was lying to her, but she didn't say anything and just narrowed her eyes. She put her feet down and stood up, putting her hands on her hips and staring at Light and L hard.

Light's gaze was on her the entire time, observing her every move while L just didn't seem to care. Light didn't look all that sure as to whether or not to confront her about her behavior and how childish she was acting. It was then that Masako turned her gaze to him directly and the staring contest began. After about a minute of analyzing on both ends, or perhaps maybe just Light's since Masako's main goal was to get him annoyed, Light turned his gaze to his computer screen and began typing as if nothing had occurred. He had a glint of something in his eye, and if Masako didn't know any better, she would say that it was either vengeful or eager.

Giving up with the scenario in general, she released her hips and walked towards the automatic doors. Before leaving, she shot Matsuda a warning look, since he had been staring at her the entire time. He quickly looked away in fear, pretending to actually _work _on his computer. Masako smirked at this and headed out the doors.

* * *

**Me: I figured this would be a good place to stop. No cliffhangers for you wonderful people…at least not yet. :3 **

**Ringo: And before ESF forgets to mention it **_**again**_**, the matchmaker chapter won't come until later. Many have been asking for that one, and trust me, it'll come. So we're gonna have that out eventually. **

**Ishida: *pushes up glasses* As for reviews…ESF appreciates all of your support blah blah blah. You know the rest of the speech. **

**Kaida: Eternalsnowfox loves all these subscriptions and favorites she's getting, so keep that love comin! Reactions from the readers keep her in a good writing mood! :D **

**Me: And…nope. That's it. Aw come on, guys. You said everything **_**I**_** was gonna say…**

**Kaida: You shouldn't be so slow next time. **

**Me: Hey by the way, has anyone seen Shai or Matt?**

…

**Shai: Are you sure we're going the right way?**

**Matt: Positive. The map says to go this way. *points down hall* **

**Shai: No, I think you got us lost. They started already and I could've sworn the stage was **_**that **_**way. *points in opposite direction***

**Matt: We just came from that way.**

**Shai: Well there **_**was **_**that hallway intersection back there. We have three more options, you know.**

**Matt: Alright, you know what? I'm done. **_**You **_**take the map! *shoves map in face***

**Shai: First of all, you're holding it upside down. Damn it, Matt…**

**Matt: You know, they should really have signs in these hallways… **

**Shai: Seriously…We were just there earlier.**

**Matt: Maybe someone'll notice that we're gone and come look for us.**

…

**Kaida: *shrug* Oh, well. They'll show up eventually.**

**Everyone else: *nods***

**Ringo: Well that's it for today. See ya later!**

**Kaida: Bye!**

**Ringo: Hey-!**

**Kaida: *punches and grits teeth* How many times do I have to tell you? *insert throbbing vein here***


	31. Plots of Secrecy

**Kaida: Haha…long chapter. ^-^**

**Ketsueki: And another in which I am not in… *insert glare at ESF here***

**Me: You never show up anyway, even if I did write you a part…**

**Ketsueki: It would mean a lot to my feelings if you would put me in at least one chapter…**

**Me: Stop whining. **

**Mello: *storms on stage* Ok, where the hell is Matt? I can't find him **_**anywhere**_**. **

**Me: Anyway, thanks to all those reviewers and readers out there! First half of this chapter is information, second half is just me messing around and perhaps I was high when I wrote it…so I hope you enjoy it! :D**

**Mello: You better not be ignoring me.**

**Me: *ignoring* You guys are awesome. Seriously. My life is now yours. You mean that much to me…No, wait. I like my life. I'm keeping that. You get the satisfaction of seeing chapter notifications pop up on your screens. Don't be selfish. -_-**

**Light: Eternalsnowfox doesn't own Death Note. If she did, this story would most likely be the plot and we all know how well that'd go over. **

**Kaida: WOO! Bring on the pitchforks! **

**Me: …I'm gonna flee, now. *flies off stage and races to exit***

**Kaida: *whips out flamethrower* I'll be right back…**

* * *

"Hello~?" Masako sang into the receiver as she balanced a few plates in her hand.

"Do you need any help with that?" Shai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Shush, Shai. I'm on the phone."

"Fine. I won't help you, then," Shai narrowed her eyes in a lazy fashion and turned on her heel, walking to the couch.

"Yeah, I'll be there. When?"

Shai yawned and leaned back on the couch, resisting the urge to put her feet up on the table. It wasn't her floor, after all. Matt on the other hand, clearly didn't know the rules and had his boot clad feet resting on the table's clean, clear surface. Shai simply shrugged it off. He would just have to learn the hard way.

"Are you checking me out?"

Shai snapped out of it and noticed that Matt's eyes were now on her, his game probably on pause. She narrowed her eyes at his question. "No. I was just spacing."

Matt stared at her for a few seconds longer before shrugging and returning to his game. Shai then put her attention on him, wanting to taunt him and ask him something similar, but held her tongue. The subject had already come and gone, anyway.

She heard Masako in the kitchen struggling with the plates, probably trying to multitask and failing miserably. "Yeah…I'm not sure, I'll have to check my schedule."

There was a short pause.

"Ok, so I don't have a schedule. But I have things to do, Sasaki. I have homework and stuff to catch up on."

Matt looked up from his game once more and smiled slightly. "Are you suuuure?" he dragged out.

"Spacing, fellow gamer. It's called spacing."

"Uhu…"

"Don't flatter yourself."

"It's what I do," he replied cheekily.

"Well, alright. I guess I could make it. What ti - WOAH!" There was a crash resounding throughout the room as well as the shattering of glass. A painful sounding thud could be heard as well. Shai jumped a bit at the noise and whipped her head around at the archway.

"Masako? Are you ok?"

"Meeeeeeeeehh…."

Shai stood from the couch and ran to the kitchen, looking down upon the figure sitting on the floor. Masako had her legs crossed and her elbow resting on her knee, using her hand as a chinrest. Her back was to Shai and she could practically feel the irritated waves coming off the clumsy girl.

Shai narrowed her eyes and rested her elbows on the counter. "This is what you get for neglecting my aid."

Masako's head shook as she turned it, adding a slightly creepy effect to the situation. She narrowed one eye once Shai could see her face and the other eye grew really wide, giving her the famous 'you're not helping the situation' look.

"Right, well…if there's nothing I can do for you, I'll be leaving now."

She glared daggers into her back as Shai left. She picked up the phone. "Yeah. I'm ok. Quit yelling, Sasaki…You see, there was this evil countertop…"

"She'll live," Shai informed Matt as she sat back down on the couch. Matt nodded and went back to his game.

"MASAKOOOOOO~!" A shriek like voice filled their ears and Shai winced. Out of the elevator came Misa, bouncing her way into the living room. "Where's Masako?" she informed in a rather annoying tone.

Shai gritted her teeth at her presence and repeated to herself over and over that stabbing people wasn't a good thing – not that it helped very much.

"Kitchen," Matt replied simply, his eyes glued to his DS.

"She's picking up broken glass," Shai spoke up, trying to unclench her teeth.

"Really? Oh, that little klutz. Come on, Mr. Mogi!" she grabbed the police officer's arm and dragged him to the kitchen, of whom Shai didn't notice until now.

Shai inhaled deeply and exhaled the same way, trying desperately not to think morbid thoughts.

"You hate her that much?" Matt questioned with curious eyes which were hidden behind his orange goggles.

"She's an idiot. I can't stand stupidity…"

"Well, I see where you're coming from, there," his eyes returned to his game, but he paused it immediately. He stood from his chair and reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and heading for the elevator.

Shai thought about following him since she had nothing better to do, but she couldn't stand the smell of smoke. She decided to just wait out on the couch until Masako came with the almost ready cake.

"Sooooooo…" Misa grinned cheekily as she rested her head on her arms on the clean countertop.

Masako raised an eyebrow at her cat grin with traces of irritation from when she fell. "What?" she replied flatly.

The idol giggled in a bantering way as she leaned forward. "So…you and Near, huh?"

Masako nearly dropped the plate and whipped her head around at Misa. "Excuse me?"

She giggled some more. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you forgot…"

Masako narrowed her eyes with wariness.

"That time when you went up to his room…" she sang.

"Yeah. What of it?"

"You spent a while in there…"

Masako rolled her eyes. "Oh, please."

The blonde abandoned her spot to slide next to Masako and bent over to where her head was at Masako's height from sitting on the floor. "So what happened? I want _details_…"

"That's…a little creepy, Misa," Masako backed away from her slowly, gripping the plate tighter just in case she needed a defense.

"Well, _something _had to have happened. Perhaps…X rated themes?"

"Oh, Misa! That's gross!" Masako slammed down the plate and waved her arms wildly as she ranted on. "What would make you think something like that? It's ridiculous! I'm only 15, remember? Don't be a creeper! I can't believe you would even think of such a thing! Me and Near? You probably tripped on something and hit your head, that's it! You have a large bruise somewhere on your head – I can fix that, you know! I'll go get the Band-Aids!" Masako leapt up from the floor, shards of glass still surrounding her.

"Wow, Masako. Never knew you could get so defensive over something like this."

"Shut up, Misa," Masako said through gritted teeth. "I just don't like people assuming that there's something going on between me and someone else. I don't do relationships."

Misa gasped. "Really? Does that mean-"

"Yes, Misa. I've never had a boyfriend, and I'm quite fine with that, thank you very much."

"Aw! Don't you ever get lonely?" Misa asked with sympathetic eyes.

"Of course not. I'm perfectly happy. I don't need someone else in my life," Masako raised an eyebrow at the model who pouted.

"You're no fun. How am I supposed to tease you about boys if you're never gonna end up with anyone anyway?"

"Well, my dear friend, there's a simple solution to that," Masako leaned down to pick up broken pieces of the plates. "Move on to the next victim."

Misa huffed. "No way!" Determination then lit up in her eyes as she put on a childish smirk. "I'm gonna prove that you _do_ want a man – no – _need _a man to live your life! Besides, what's a world without love?" she said the last part dreamily.

Masako narrowed her eyes in one of her 'you've got to be kidding me' faces. "Whatever floats your boat, Misa. While you're planning something that will most likely fail, I'm going to continue picking up these shards of klutziness and stash them away in a special place."

"Uh? That's so weird! Why can't you just throw them away?" she said loudly with slight curiosity.

Masako simply looked at her and smiled sweetly. "No reason…" her voice sounded different – sweeter than normal, but a little deeper than the slightly high pitched voice that she usually used.

"Whatever…" Misa reached out a hand towards Mogi and grabbed a fist full of clothing, dragging him out of the kitchen. "Come on, Mr. Mogi! If you're going to monitor me whenever Ryuzaki can't, you're going to have to keep up. I have some major shopping to catch up on," the poor police officer let off a disturbed aura as the model pulled him along, rambling off all of the things she wished to buy and at which stores she had to go to get them.

Before she left for the elevator, however, she shot Shai a 'stay away from my Light while I'm gone' glare. Oh yes. Shai knew this look very well. She scowled back at her, a machine gun loaded and ready in her mind.

For Shai, it was a shame that Misa hopped into the elevator before the gamer could enjoy a clear, mental image of destroying her.

"Masako. _Why _must you allow her to come and go in your presence as she pleases?" Shai asked under her breath.

"Because it's the only way to gain her trust. We've been over this, Shai," Masako called from the kitchen.

Shai narrowed her eyes and put an arm over the back of the couch, leaning back and turning her head to stare unbelievably toward the kitchen. "What was that?"

Masako's head popped up from behind the high counter. "I said that I needed to gain her trust. You know, for future events that could take place…?"

"How the hell did you hear me?"

She cocked her head to the side in question. "What are you talking about? I heard you loud and clear."

"I said that quietly."

"Your voice travels."

"I doubt that."

Masako's eyes glazed over and turned dull, but she didn't say anything as she bent down to pick up more plate pieces. Her face was entirely blank, even when she accidentally sliced her finger. She ignored it and continued gathering the pieces as if she were picking up toys from children that had been labeled as nuisances.

* * *

Sunday, 3:00 p.m.

Kaida yawned widely as she turned over on her side. She hadn't gotten much sleep during the night, so she slept most of the day away thanks to the training Mai had put her through. Her eyes were extremely heavy and she felt exhausted. Yet, she couldn't go to sleep.

"Hey, Kaida."

Kaida narrowed her eyes at the slightly familiar voice. "What?"

"Ryuzaki wishes to see you."

She sat up and stared at Soichiro unbelievably. "This better be important."

"It's 3 p.m.! You weren't…sleeping, were you?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Kaida asked irritably as she stood from the bed. She had slept in her clothes the night before, which had irritated her, but at least she didn't have to go through the whole getting dressed routine.

"Uh…nothing," Soichiro simply shook his head, not comprehending Kaida's laziness.

She reached out her hand for the computer room's floor when Soichiro grabbed her hand. When she looked at the police officer questioningly, he reached out and pushed a button that Kaida had never even touched before. She tilted her head in curiosity, but stayed put and waited for the elevator to come to a halt.

* * *

"Is there a reason why I'm here?" Masako crossed her arms rather impatiently. Shai's shin was resting on top of her leg, so all she did was tap her foot in midair. They _have _been waiting for a while, and L had yet to say what he needed to say.

L looked at her eyes dully. "Why are your fingers covered with Band-Aids?"

Masako rolled her eyes. "Accident in the kitchen. Don't tell me that's all you were going to tell me…"

"No," Kaida then entered. L turned his gaze to Soichiro. "Thank you, Chief Yagami."

The police officer nodded as the elevator doors closed on him. Kaida wandered into the room, slightly curious as to what was going on. The room showed an almost stunning resemblance to the conference room. Nice couches, a polished coffee table full of sweets, a flatscreen on the wall – almost like a hotel.

"Can you tell us what we're here for now?" Shai asked. It wasn't like she had anywhere to be, but she was rather bored of hanging around in the same room as L, especially when he had instructed her to put away her DS.

L shifted his feet in his chair and shoved a donut into his mouth. "Kaida."

"Hm?"

"Where were you this morning at 1:39 a.m.?"

Kaida raised an eyebrow. "Um…sleeping? What else?" she answered as if it was obvious.

Masako eyed her suspiciously while Shai didn't make it as noticeable. Since the three girls were excellent liars, they always had trouble determining who was lying about what. It wasn't really on the top of their to-do list anyway. When it came to serious matters and they were alone, they knew they wouldn't be lying to one another.

"Leaving the building. I'm curious as to where you had gone."

Kaida thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah! Now I remember. I left to chill at the cemetery in Aoyama."

"Why were you in Aoyama?"

"Because I can be. You got a problem?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do."

Kaida raised an eyebrow at this and gave him one of her 'do you really wanna talk to me like that' look. "Care to explain?"

L shoved another bite of donut in his mouth. "You are working under the Task Force and the number one detective in the world along with his top three successors. I have given you three some freedoms before, but while under these current conditions, you will need to be monitored. Cameras have already been placed on your floors before your stay and you cannot leave Task Force Headquarters unless it is with either the Task Force or one or more of my three successors. You are now suspects of being accomplices of Kira."

Masako looked at him incredulously and abruptly stood from her seat. "Are you kidding me, Ryuzaki? Why would you think something like that? You know that I want to catch Kira as much as the next person."

L nearly regarded her with a glance. "I realize this. I just want to determine for myself and be sure that you're on my side and not Kira's."

"So when will we _not _be monitored?"

"That sounds highly suspicious, Miss Tamaki. Hold your tongue if you want to remain innocent."

"Innocent? That's nothing but a bunch of BS. As long as we're under your roof, we're guilty until proven innocent."

The detective licked some icing off of his fingers. "This is also true. But it is not you of whom I suspect the most."

"Then who?" Masako asked warily.

"I will give you this option, however," he went on, ignoring Masako's question. "If you three can prove to me that you are not accomplices of Kira, then I will believe you."

Masako sat back down and glared at the floor after realizing that she was being ignored.

"Alright…what do we have to do?" Kaida inquired.

"That is up to you. Do whatever you feel you must."

"Well why can't you just tell us?" she argued.

"If I told you what to do, you would accomplish the task to the best of your abilities."

"Exactly. So what's the problem?"

L narrowed his eyes at being interrupted. "You would know my expectations. It wouldn't clear your name. I want to see how far you would go to prove your innocence…"

"Fine! It's on!" Masako leapt off the couch once more. She outstretched her arm and pointed dramatically at the detective. "I'll prove my innocence if it's the last thing I do!"

"See to it that you will," L's reply sent a chill down Shai's spine for some reason. She wondered if she was the only one who had it. Kaida merely glared at the detective, quite agitated that she had to be monitored.

* * *

"Surveillance…"

"Seriously…"

The three scanned the room as they made their way over to the furniture.

"Did you finish that cake yet, Masako?" Shai asked.

"Cake?" Kaida perked her ears. "What kind?"

Shai grinned as the light reflected dramatically off of her glasses. "Chocolate."

"OH! OH! OH! Give me some!"

"I didn't start making it, yet," Masako answered sadly.

Her reply was met with a chorus of 'aws' as she sat down in an armchair and curled her feet up to where her knees met her chin. "I chilled with Sasaki and them today."

"Who?" Shai asked.

"Some kid that I know from school."

"Oh."

"Him and his friends met me at the park. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just a bunch of random high school kids."

"Mk?" Kaida replied.

Shai raised an eyebrow. "You're telling us this…why?"

"We're working together on the investigation, aren't we? I figured you guys would want to know if I found anything suspicious or not."

"I guess that makes sense…" Shai stretched her arms before reaching into her pocket and taking out her DS.

"Oh, and there's something else…"

"Eh?"

"Why was Misa hanging around Mogi? Isn't Matsuda supposed to be her manager?" Masako asked curiously.

"Matsuda crashed on the couch in the conference room."

"Again?"

"Yeah…That idiot can't stay awake," Shai tapped away at her gaming system, seemingly oblivious to the world, even though she was answering questions with the precision of Light.

"Wait a minute…"

Everyone turned their attention to Kaida, who was staring at the white ceiling in deep thought. She snapped her eyes back to them with excited eyes, but looked away giving off a very defeated aura. "Nevermind…"

"No way, man," Masako positioned herself to where her legs were folded underneath her in an eager position. "You brought it up. Speak."

"No, I forgot what it was."

Masako relaxed, but maintained the eager glint in her eyes.

"WAIT! I remember what I was going to say!" she pointed dramatically in Masako's direction with wide, excited eyes yet again. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line as kept her arm straight out until someone regarded her.

"Well…what is it?" Shai asked after narrowing her eyes.

"We need to go to Aoyama!" she exclaimed randomly.

The two gave her funny looks.

"I'm serious! You won't regret it, trust me!" she leapt off the couch.

"Trust? You? Think again, you crazy chocoholic. I'm not going anywhere with you," Masako crossed her arms and swung her head in the other direction, keeping an eye open just in case Kaida were to strike in any way, shape, or form.

"Oh, yes you are!" she gave a maniacal smile and grabbed the collar of Masako's shirt, pulling her off the couch and dragging her to the elevator. "Come, Shai! Don't make me get a leash!"

Shai sighed and obeyed.

* * *

"Where are we going, exactly?" Shai asked, her hands deep in her jacket pockets.

"You'll see," Kaida called behind her shoulder as she walked beside Mello up in the front of the group.

Shai inched closer to Masako, whose eyes looked at her questioningly without turning her head. Matt was only a few feet away, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. After a little nudge in the arm by the female gamer, Masako's eyes wandered down to the DS she held. It was on a program called 'Pictochat' and words were typed on the notepad like screen.

"Hey, Masako. Help me choose a weapon for my character. I can't decide," Shai faked.

The message read: _kaida wants to talk to us without being monitored. any ideas? _

"Oh! I like this one!" Masako grabbed the DS and pulled out the stylus, erasing the message and writing her reply.

_how do you know she wants to talk about something_

"What's taking so long?"

"Well, sorry! I was looking at statistics. I like that sword-like thingy."

"Dude, seriously? That's weak!" Shai continued patting away at her DS as she talked. "See, look. This one's cooler. It has higher stats and is clearly better than…_that _one."

"Then why'd you ask me?"

"I figured you would pick something good, but apparently not. You see, look." As they continued on with their cover-up conversation, their written conversation progressed as well.

_she wouldnt bring us all the way out here if she didnt want to talk. apparently its something that cant be said in front of the wammy kids._

_do you think kaida has a plan?_

_no she might be just winging it_

_we could push them into a store and run for our lives_

_no way masako but that does sound like a plan kaida would come up with_

_then that means shes waiting for us to catch on so we can do her dirty work_

_damn her…_

Masako thought for a moment before her next reply, all the while with different words pouring out of her mouth.

_is it just me or are we walking in the direction of the preschool?_

Shai's face twisted into a strange expression before replying.

_WHAT? FUCK NO! WE ARE NOT GOING BACK THERE!_

_chill. she probably has a plan. contact one of the preschoolers somehow?_

_absolutely not!_

"Do you see it now?"

"Yeah…I guess," Masako replied.

"Hey you guys! Shut up back there!" Mello barked, rather irritated with their constant speaking.

Shai tapped some buttons on her DS before turning it off and shoving it into her pocket.

Masako leaned forward and whispered into Shai's ear quickly before skipping off to Mello and Kaida. Shai walked on, a look of disbelief and wariness on her face.

"Hey Mello~!" Masako sang cheerfully.

"God, _what_?" he whipped his head around to look her in the eyes.

"Look! Look! Look!" the brunette reached into her pocket and pulled out bright colored sticky notes. She beamed as she peeled them off one by one until each of her fingertips had one sticky note. "They're all different colors!"

Mello looked at her with a 'when did you suddenly turn stupid' expression. "Why are you-"

"LOOK AT THE STICKY NOTES!" Masako shoved them in his face. "I don't think you're looking at them right! You need to absorb the colors! Remember them! _Be _the colors!"

"Mfl…Yur crazy! Get thi' out of mah face!"

Masako resumed peeling sticky notes off and sticking them on Mello's face as he waved his hands around widely, looking for Masako's face to rip into tiny pieces.

Kaida stepped back a bit, then suddenly turned around, ramming into a person at a certain angle to make them fall into Shai, who in turn, fell into Matt, which sent all three of them to the ground. With both of them distracted, Kaida made a break for it down the street.

"OUCH! Look Shai, I know I'm insanely hot, but you really need to control yourself," Matt groaned from underneath Shai as she shifted to where she could slap him across the face. "Ow, kidding! Kidding!"

Kaida huffed, out of breath after only twenty feet. "Good thing they carried out their little plan when they did…otherwise, we would've passed it. Man, I hate running," she said to herself as she leapt inside the alleyway.

A small boy with black, slightly shaggy hair had a walkie-talkie in hand, holding it out immediately upon Kaida's entrance.

"Thanks, Number 24. Saved me, there."

"Anything to help out, Amaya-sama," the boy called Number 24 straightened himself and saluted.

"Right. Thanks for studying those codes I gave you. I'm being monitored from here on out, so I need to be careful of what I say. Be sure the others are studying up on them, too."

Number 24 nodded vigorously. "Of course, Amaya-sama! Number 9 is on the other end of the walkie-talkie. He might be able to get you what you need."

Kaida smiled evilly. "Yeah. I'll get what I need, alright. Dismissed," she said the last word with a sudden great authority that would've made even L question his own decisions.

"Alright! That's enough!" Mello cleared off most of the sticky notes from his face with a sweep of his glove. Masako squeaked when he grabbed her wrist and roughly smashed her up against the nearest brick wall. "What is _wrong _with you? If you _ever _touch me again-"

"Hey Mello~"

The chocoholic whipped his head around at the sound of his name. Kaida stood on the sidewalk with a raised eyebrow.

"Chill. It was my plan all along," Kaida raised her hands in a 'you caught me' gesture, the smallest of smirks playing at her face.

"W-What? Why the hell would you-"

"Because I wouldn't have gotten this," Kaida slid her slim fingers into her large jacket pocket and pulled out a thick chocolate bar with silver wrapping.

"What the fuck? That's mine!"

"Uh, yeah. That's why I have it," she smirked triumphantly at his expression.

"U-Um…excuse me…" Masako asked in an extremely small voice. Mello turned to glare at her as she jumped, but continued. "Could you let me go now, please?"

He narrowed his eyes before letting go of her wrist. She looked at him fearfully before passing him and taking long, quick strides to the safety behind the backs of Shai and Matt; all the while, rubbing her wrist tenderly.

Mello held out a gloved hand with an icy stare. "Give it."

"Hm…letmethinkabouttha – nope!"

"Do you have any idea of how much trouble you're in?"

"Yes, I realize I'm suffering…cause _I'm _the one with the chocolate bar."

Mello gritted his teeth. "That's not what I meant and you know it. Now give me the chocolate – it's my last bar."

Kaida held the candy protectively to her chest and pointed up at the sky, her arm outstretched. "NEVEEEEEEEERRRRRR!"

"Alright, that's it!" Mello lunged for Kaida, who quickly sidestepped. When trying to catch her, he stumbled. Kaida's eyes widened to saucers and her mouth opened in a small 'o' position – one of her infamous amused faces. When he finally caught himself, she pointed out a finger and her face returned to an amused smile. "Heh. Heh. Heh. You almost feeeeeeell~"

Meanwhile, Shai was keeping as much distance between her and Matt as possible, mainly using Masako as a boundary. The usually bright girl was looking at nothing in particular, her eyes wandering to all of the stores around them – looking at anything but the exchange between the chocoholics.

"Give it to me, bitch!"

"Nah, I don't think I will!"

Another lunge. Another miss. This went on for quite a while.

"OW!" Shai leapt back an few inches when Masako had nearly tipped over from where she was standing, snapping out of it and catching herself in time – but missing the ground and catching herself on Shai's feet instead.

"Uh, sorry!"

"Sorry? That hurt!"

"It was an accident!"

"How the hell was that an accident? It's not like you were _going _anywhere, so how could you have possibly fallen over nothing?"

"I trip over air particles. Don't make fun of me!"

"Just for that, I think I'll make fun of you. Well, my jokes are set for the next week."

"You wouldn't!"

"I would," Shai smiled triumphantly, but wasn't paying attention when Masako reached out a finger and jabbed it into her side. "EEP! That hurts, Nagawa!"

"That would be the point, dear Tamaki!"

Shai let go of the side that she clutched and jabbed her assaulter, the latter opening her eyes and mouth as wide as they could go before flowing back to normal, which looked kind of weird.

"Oh, yeah! Take _this_!"

Matt let his cigarette drop to the sidewalk. He stepped on it with his boot and smothered it, his eyes closed. Since everyone was wrapped up in their own fights, no one noticed.

"I'm warning you, Kaida!"

"I'm not listening, Mello!"

"No! No! NO! You're doing it wrong! That's not how it goes! I toe poke, you toe jab! You don't go straight to the kick!"

"All's fair in hate and war!" Shai screamed as she let loose a strong punch to the arm.

"Oh, yeah!" Masako let out shakily as she swung her leg for her shin. She missed by only a few millimeters. "Well not in ice hockey!"

Shai halted. "What the hell does that mean?"

"EXACTLY!" Masako used this opportunity to throw a successful kick to the side, sending her opponent to the ground.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Matt opened his eyes, letting the scenes of the fights reach his orange-goggled eyes. He spent the next ten seconds thinking of a solution to the issues unfolding before him.

Then, he sighed and took off his vest, placing it next to him as he knelt down to undo his boot laces. After a few moments, everyone turned silent and stared as Matt began taking off his boots.

"Uh…Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Em…what are you doing?" Masako asked with narrowed eyes.

Matt smiled and shrugged. "Eh, nothing really."

He stood with his boots and vest by his feet, then started to take off his red and black striped shirt.

At first, no one comprehended what he was doing. Shai and Masako were the first to turn red.

"NONONONONONONONO!" Masako rushed over to him and shoved the shirt back down. "KEEP IT ON!"

"What, aren't you enjoying the show?"

"NO! Now stop stripping!"

"Are you sure? That blush on your face says otherwise."

"SHUT UP!" Masako swung her fist back and hit him squarely in the jaw. Mello just looked at Matt like he had suddenly gone stupid along with Masako and Kaida had a faint blush on her face as she found a certain spot on a red brick wall quite fascinating.

"Dude, chill…" Matt slowly rose to his feet. "There's no way in hell I'd step in on one of those fights – especially with someone who has a gun," he eyed Mello he gave him a glare. "I had to do something…"

"So…you started taking…off…your clothes…" Mello narrowed his eyes, trying to understand the cleverness behind the situation.

"Yep. But it's not like I would've taken everything off. That'd be kinda creepy…I've heard it on TV somewhere, though. 'When in doubt, start stripping.'"

"You so made that up…" Masako tapped her foot on the sidewalk.

"Nope."

"Dude, don't even tell me what shows you watch…" Shai ordered as she spun around on her heel and began walking down the sidewalk.

"Hey, wait for me!" Masako soon snapped out of it and she raced to Shai's side.

Kaida slipped in next to Matt in the back, his vest in his hand and his boots on his feet. "Ok. That was weird, even for you."

"Nah…We needed to get moving anyway. I have games to beat, you know? A man can get desperate. But…"

Kaida raised an eyebrow.

"I'd like to think of it as an experiment, as well."

Mello overheard and turned his head around slightly. "Experiment?"

Matt focused his eyes ahead at Shai for a few seconds, but looked away and simply shrugged. "Just curious of something, that's all."

Kaida's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but said nothing more as she slipped further and further behind. It was time to get things done. She pulled out her walkie-talkie. "Number 9…This is your commander speaking. The order is as the following: Bring _everything_."

**

* * *

**

**Me: Ok. I have no idea where the whole stripping thing came from. o.O Don't ask.**

**Kaida: That's what you get for writing when you're tired.**

**Me: I think I'll live…I'll just post it, sleep, then wake up in the morning and look at how high I was when writing this. **

**Mello: Why don't you let the reviewers tell you? That's what they're **_**there**_** for. **

**Me: Anyway, it's Thanksgiving break for me, so I'm gonna be writing some more. Reviews/favorites/subscriptions are awesome inspiration – got a lot of those last chapter and it made me happy! :) It's what got this chapter finished, so keep those coming.**

**Misa: MOSHI MOSHI, FANFICTION! :D **

**Me: Please, Misa. You only use that over the phone.**

**Misa: Misa-Misa likes to be different!**

**Me: Fine, Misa-Misa can be different… -_-"**

**Misa: Ok, so I have **_**tons **_**of ideas for the matchmaker chapter! As you can see, we've mostly had Matt/Shai in this chapter and previous chapters if you can catch that. We've had very few Mello/Kaida moments, so we need to work on that. As for Near/Masako, that was hinted as well, which we also need to work on.**

**Me: I don't think so. :P**

**Misa: Aw, Misa-Misa loves pairings! (*-*)**

**Me: Don't start with me. We discussed this. We'll leave hints here and there with the romance, but this isn't a **_**romance fic**_**. And we're not even writing the matchmaker chapter yet, Misa. **

**Misa: Misa-**_**Misa**_**.**

**Me: Yeah, whatever.**

**Misa: But you don't have to stick with the genres you put under the story completely! I mean, switch it up a little!**

**Kaida: **_**You **_**need to leave. Cause… *checks wrist where watch should be* OH LOOK time for you to go! *throws Misa out the door***

**Misa: Hey, wait!**

**Kaida: That's all the time we have; they've already spent way to much time talking. See you guys in the next chapter! ;) **


	32. Suspicions

**Hey everybody! Just like to say a few things before we begin.**

**I've been going through lots of editing lately to fix things that I didn't like. I fixed this all sometime last month, but finally had the time to put it up today. ^-^ **

**Chapter 1: has been changed drastically. It's nothing that would alter the story, but I highly suggest you check it out.**

**Chapter 11: was only edited with the conversation between Roger and Kaida, and a little bit between Linda and Kaida afterwards.**

**Chapter 18: I missed a few things here, but a few changes had been made throughout the entire thing. The only important thing is that L had read all of the rules in the Death Note (at least what was provided since not all of the rules came with the Death Note), and had mentioned reading rules about a shinigami to the Task Force, who as well as him, was unsure of whether or not it really existed. A theory that was provided by L was that the shinigami had taken the notebook for some reason (he has no idea how close to the truth he really is). **

**Sorry about that, guys. It was mostly dialogue and things, like I kept asking myself "Would they really do that?" and I managed to get by and change things. Sorry to cause you guys trouble, but you don't have to read if you don't want to. :)**

**I might be changing the summary as well since I'm not exactly sure where this story is going. The title will, of course, remain the same. I'm going to try to come up with something fancy for the summary, maybe something deep, or completely screwed up. I'm really not sure. *laughs nervously* I was scanning the Death Note archive a few days ago and I'm like "Wow…my summary sucks." XD Just thought I'd give you a heads up, there. Anyway, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. Or any songs in this chapter. **

**

* * *

**"Alright, Kaida. What's the big deal?" Masako asked with her arms crossed.

She tilted her head to the side. "What?"

"You know exactly what we mean," Shai cornered. Masako spoke next.

"First you drag us all the way out to Aoyama; only to go to a pastry store, something of which we already have around here, then drag us all the way back. What's up with that?"

"They were the finest sweets in town!" Kaida said proudly with a smile as she straightened her back and put her hands on her hips.

"Kaida…you didn't _buy _anything there," Shai informed with a raised eyebrow.

"Well _sorry_ I forgot my cash here," Kaida's arms were spread in a 'why am I the victim' pose before falling to her side. She rolled her eyes. "You guys will get over it."

Masako stuck her nose up in the air and swung it away from her. "We'll see."

"Oh come on, Masako. We all know that you can't hold a grudge – even if your life depended on it,"

Masako flinched quickly. "Nuh uh! I can hold a grudge for a _long time_."

"Sure you can…" Shai pushed up her glasses and plopped herself down on the couch, whipping out her DS as usual. "You have yet to make that cake, servant."

Kaida laughed and played along. "You are dismissed from our presence!" she clapped once and spread her arms out wide in a weird gesture – probably one she saw in a movie.

Masako glared at the two hard before swinging around and walking to the kitchen, indignant waves floating off of her back. Making a cake was her only escape, anyway.

* * *

Mello stomped into the computer room with frustration while Matt walked slowly behind, looking rather tired and worn out. L recognized their footsteps – mainly Mello's – and spoke up with his eyes still glued to the computer screens before him.

"Is everything alright, Mello?"

Mello huffed, but spoke in a voice that certainly didn't match his mood. "Kaida took us to Aoyama for a _pastry shop_, then didn't buy anything and took us back."

"That's all?"

"No! That crazy Nagawa girl covered my face with sticky notes, Shai got into a fight with her, Kaida stole my chocolate bar, and Matt began stripping!"

"Well, it sounds like you two had fun."

"Fun? _Fun?_ I wouldn't call it _fun_, Ryuzaki," Mello spat the word as if it was poison on his tongue.

"Cracked after only five days, Mello?" Matsuda asked with a playful smirk.

"Shut up, you idiot."

Light turned around in his chair, looking at the successors as he spoke. "Look, I know it's only been a few days since you guys got here, but try to adjust to the girls. They're just…abnormal, that's all. It takes some getting used to."

"I'm _not _going anywhere with those three _again!_"

"For the purposes of this investigation, Mello, I would have to object to that," L answered calmly as he drank some of his tea.

"Fine, but only for the investigation! I can't deal with this 24/7."

The rest of the Task Force was in the room, including Near for once, who was sitting on the floor with a deck of cards, were listening to the conversation with interest. The Task Force had all stopped what they were working on, even though most of them appeared working, and only Matsuda had glanced up to see the exchange between the four geniuses.

That is, until a loud thud could be heard throughout the room as Aizawa pounded his fist on his desk and stood abruptly, an unpleasant expression on his face. "This is ridiculous. Aren't you supposed to be geniuses? Why the hell would you need three fifteen-year-old girls?"

"Their logic is greater than most of the kids their age here in Japan. They say they come from America…" he thought for a moment.

"But Ryuzaki, not to sound prejudice, but aren't Japanese kids smarter than American kids?" Light asked carefully.

"Those were my thoughts as well, Light. That's what made me curious…"

"Well maybe they're just a few smart kids," Matsuda suggested with a sheepish smile.

"You're missing the point, Matsuda," L's reply made Matsuda's smile falter in complete confusion. "These three…are unreal."

"What do you mean by that?" Soichiro was the next to ask.

L observed them on one of the monitors, a low sound of their voices coming through the speakers. It appeared that Masako had turned on the radio, and all three of them were singing along.

_Hirogaru yami no naka kawashiatta kakumei no chigiri_

_Aishita yue ni mebaeta aku no hana_

_Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo_

_Dare ni mo jama saseru wake ni wa ikanai_

Masako was throwing the ingredients together for a cake, Kaida was leaning on the countertop moving her head back and forth to the beat, and Shai was tapping her foot with the beat as well, all three of them either singing or humming The World from Nightmare.

L stared at them with the faintest curiosity grazing his eyes. "They know more than they're letting off," he observed them with a little bit more intensity. "That's the main reason why they're on this case."

"Huh?" the Task Force asked simultaneously.

"It was only a hunch from the beginning…but from the moment Masako appeared at the coffee shop, I knew…she was different. Meeting her friends had only furthered my suspicions. They know something about Kira, or something related to the case," his voice started buzzing in his throat towards the end of his explanation, getting lost in thought as he looked down at his tea.

"I see what you mean," Matt answered. Everyone in the room turned their attention to him. "They really are strange…you have a chocoholic kleptomaniac, a philosophical gamer, and a hyperactive observer. It's a strange mix-up…"

"Which means they're dangerous," Mello concluded. He nodded towards L. "I understand now, Ryuzaki. Just tell us what to do and we'll do it," he added with more determination in his voice.

"I can't believe you guys! They're teenagers!" Aizawa looked more frustrated, but sounded like he was restraining his voice. "This isn't daycare. We're a _Task Force_. We're going after the world's greatest mass serial killer in history! You saw Masako when she came back from the Sakura TV Station. Not to mention she also fell off the roof and almost died! That's two near death experiences! Do you still think after those events that it's wise to keep them on the case if they're causing so much trouble?"

L turned his gaze on him with authority in his eyes. "No, actually. I'm merely keeping them to satisfy my own curiosity and to help solve this case. Those two instances…I am unsure of those as well. Perhaps maybe Masako has yet to require common sense…she's a bright girl, but her actions don't match up with her intelligence."

"So what do you think is the problem, then?" Matsuda asked curiously. Everyone had quit pretending to work and was now focused on L, whose thoughts were most likely flying through his mind faster than the speed of light.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know."

A silence followed. No one knew what to say at this point. It seemed that time had stopped and that no one was breathing.

"Well so far, Masako's been doing most of the work. I think Kaida and Shai should help out in some way, too," Soichiro suggested.

"I think my dad's right," Light answered with a thoughtful look on his face. "Masako's the only one that's actually out there doing something in the investigation, besides Mello and Matt, of course. Is there anything else that needs to be done?"

L sighed. "Patience, everyone. I had Kaida perform a special task for me just recently. I can't ask Shai anything until I determine whose side she's on."

"What do you mean, 'whose side she's on'?"

"Not once did anyone ask her whether she was for or against Kira. We _had _to take her in because she knew my identity and in order to protect myself, she needed to stay. It's very rare that I would show my face to anyone, and this is one of the first investigations in which I've ever done so. To show my face to someone else…I've done it with too many."

"Did you test the three in any way before they came here?" Light's curiosity seemed to be getting the best of him as he let the questions fly off his tongue.

"I gave Masako the same deductive reasoning test as I did with you before you came into the Task Force. Her deduction was perfect…but it was too perfect and too quick…as if she already knew the answers beforehand. Kaida had already received the information of my location and had invited herself in, not to mention the fact that she had discovered Wammy's House and stayed there for a short period of time previous to joining us. Shai had fallen through the ceiling, so she must've known our location in the hotel. This makes me wonder just how much they really know, and how much they found out between then and now."

"What are you talking about, Ryuzaki?" Matsuda asked once again. "How would they know where we were? It's not like they knew us at the time…right?"

"That's what I'm talking about, Matsuda," L answered with a sigh. "This is what I don't understand. To acquire this information, they would have to know who we were in order to pick us out from the crowd. Perhaps maybe I wasn't careful enough when switching hotels…?" The last part seemed to be directed towards himself as he took a sip of his tea. He stopped taking sips and set it down, his interest in drinking it lost since it had gone cold. This didn't mean he couldn't still stare at the surface of the liquid in thought, though.

"No way! It was foolproof!" Matsuda exclaimed loudly. "You had us in small groups with half hour intervals. There's no way they would've been watching and waiting for us for _that _long."

"Again, they would've had to know who the members in the Task Force were in order for them to watch and wait," Light summed it up in one go.

"But still-"

"Mr. Aizawa, I think it's safe to conclude that the three girls that are currently on that monitor are very threatening to not only L's life, but all of our lives as well – no matter how normal they seem to be," Near responded. He had used a forth of his tarot cards already and had made a small tower on cold, hard floor. "I would suggest keeping them in our sights so we can figure out how they received this vital information. This way, we can correct the problem to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Aizawa opened his mouth to speak, but clenched his teeth instead. "Fine," he sat back down in his seat and pulled out some files, typing away at his computer and continuing his work.

"Masako wouldn't hurt us…neither would Kaida or Shai…right?" asked Matsuda innocently. There was a long silence. "R-Right?" he now had a worried expression on his face and was ignored due to lack of knowledge.

"From here on out," L began "no one will tell them any information regarding the case. Any new findings in the main investigation will be kept a secret. Do you all understand?"

Once the detective got a 'yes' from everyone in the room, he pushed his tea aside and pulled a plate of fancy sliced watermelon towards him. These next few days were going to be difficult.

* * *

Misa was lying on her stomach in her bedroom; a tablet of paper lay in front of her as well as many different versions of her plan scattered across her bed. Most of them were crumpled up onto the floor. The model scratched her head with her eraser tip before scribbling something down. She beamed and straightened up, holding the paper away from her face to get a good view. She then frowned and squished the ends of the paper together in a demon-like fashion before throwing it to the floor with the rest of the failed attempts as she growled in frustration.

"I can't believe this! Why can't I come up with anything? It seemed so easy before!" she sighed longingly. "If only one thing could work...If things keep going on like this, I'm going to rip my hair out! I'm going to scream! I'm going to-!" she stopped her rapidly escalating voice when her eyes spotted a certain plan. "Wait a minute…" she grabbed it and stared at it with concentration before her face turned bright and happy. "It's perfect! All I need to do is fix some things!"

Misa erased several things and made several changes before dusting off the eraser shavings and moving back from her paper to survey her work once again. The binder underneath her paper had probably been destroyed with scratch marks due to all of the work she had done ever since she had gotten back from shopping with Mogi.

"This is _so _going to work! Yay~!" she clapped her hands quickly and excitedly and climbed off her bed, stepping on numerous balls of papers in the process and racing out of the room with the chosen paper in her hand.

* * *

It was long after listening to the radio that the three discovered that they didn't know any of the Japanese songs that were playing. Kaida suggested hooking up Masako's Ipod to her computer to play some music. Now, all three of them were singing to Nickelback.

_Landlord says I should buy a tent_

_But he can kiss my ass cause I paid the rent  
_

_So I doubt he'll kick me out this afternoon_

Down on the corner in a seedy bar

_Juke box crankin' out the CCR  
_

_Had a few to Suzy Q this afternoon_

The moment was ruined when Misa bounced into the room. "Masako! I need to show you something!"

The said girl turned her head away from the timer she had just set, the cake now in the oven. "Uh, can I help you?"

"Come on!" The idol grabbed Masako's sleeve of her jacket and pulled her across the main room and into the bedroom. Once she shut the door, earning a confused and annoyed look from Shai, she shoved the paper and Masako's face. "It's perfect!"

"…"

"Well? What do you think?"

"I don't know, Misa…who were you planning on using this on?"

"Oh…you know…" she smiled. "It's a surprise."

Masako gave her a wary look with narrowed eyes. "By 'surprise,' you mean me and Near."

"What? No! Of course not! That would be too obvious!"

She sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Masako kept her wary look but shook her head and glanced at the model's 'perfect' plan. "Look, Misa. This looks like something from a chick flick. Don't you think it's a bit cheesy? I mean, the hero won't automatically propose to the damsel in distress in reality."

"Well, they could!"

"Shai, Kaida and I are too young to get married."

"…Oh…But it's still romantic! Maybe the hero will confess his love for her! That was the main goal."

"Misa, if you knew any of my friends at all, the first thing they would say if they were saved would be 'Hey, you're cool. Wanna be my assassin and help me rule the world?'"

Misa looked horrified. "Wh…What? That's terrible!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Not really. I'd say that, too."

Misa's mouth was left agate as Masako shoved the paper in her direction. When she wouldn't take it, she preformed the task of opening and closing her hand for her, giving her the paper and opening the door.

"I suggest you come up with something better, otherwise, you're wasting my time. Try getting ideas from _good _romance movies. And try to stay out of _my _love life, ok? Not like I have one…" she mumbled the last part to herself as she left the room, leaving the door open for Misa.

"Hm…I'll have to discuss these plans with Light…" she then sighed. "Light…" she added dreamily. "Now to fix some things!"

Once Misa disappeared behind the elevator doors, Shai was the first to speak up. "What was that all about?"

"Hm?" Masako turned her head and once she caught Shai's eye, she shrugged and proceeded to the kitchen. "Nothing, really. Just giving her permission to enter your love life, that's all."

Shai's eyes widened at this as she turned to look at the girl incredulously.

"What?" Masako asked innocently.

Shai slowly reached for a pillow next to her on the couch and as soon as she made contact with it, she threw it at Masako with incredible speed. The latter ducked as the pillow nearly missed her by a few millimeters.

Masako popped her head back up from behind the counter and began laughing at her attempt to hit her, only to be greeted shortly after with another pillow which hit her squarely in the face. She instantly stopped laughing to give Shai one of her 'Really? _Really?_' looks. Shai and Kaida laughed at her expression as they began to get into the next song.

* * *

A few days had passed since then. For Kaida, she randomly smiled at everyone just because she knew something that they didn't. When someone would look at her in suspicion or ask her about her behavior, she would put her hands behind her back and rock on her heels back and forth, singing in a tune that was meant to taunt, "I know something you don't know." She would give the brightest of smiles as she scurried away, the jangling of her bracelets filling the room as she left quickly. It was rather odd to say the least.

With each passing day, Shai was growing rather bored. She was running out of games – and fast. The only person that volunteered to go with her to get new ones was Matt, who visited the game store often. The female gamer was reluctant to go with the genius due to avoiding awkward situations. As much as she would enjoy it, she had a silent fear that he would begin stripping again, and Masako wouldn't be there to save her. She figured she would just have to wait it out and take her time on her games, beating every single level from easy to difficult until she could think of a way to go the gaming store without him. It would be better to go with Masako around, so the weekend - when she didn't have school - would be a good time to go.

Masako, on the other hand, was spending more and more time on Near's floor. Every time she would enter a thoughtful mood, which was rather frequently, she would walk to the elevator in a daze and push the same button. She enjoyed the company of the albino – mainly because he never tried to make conversation or pry into her life. In a nutshell, he was a brick wall, and the odd girl was fine with that. Masako would do her homework in his room, come back to her floor when she was done, make some pastries, spend half of the night in either the computer room or Near's floor out of sheer boredom, then go back to her floor to get some shuteye before waking up for school.

This became the regular routine for all three of them, and besides Masako and Near, things grew more tense between Kaida's taunting and Shai's aversion from the goggled gamer.

Masako's POV

I mumbled a bit before opening my eyes slightly. My room was dark. It was nice. I then glanced at the time.

_Don't you dare…_I warned it. After a few seconds, though, the loud beeping resounded throughout the room. "Noooooo," I protested. "I don't wanna go…" Then, an immense joy filled up within me as I found the strength to get up. "Yes! It's Friday," I yawned and hit the alarm clock; the beeping stopped.

I cracked my neck both ways before getting out of bed and stretching. After going through the routine of getting dressed, brushing my hair and teeth, and eating breakfast, I put the empty bowl of what used to hold cereal beside the sink. Ever since I got up, I've been singing "It's Friday, it's Friday~"

I was making my way to the elevator when I stopped in my tracks, narrowing my eyes. Something wasn't right.

Glancing around the main room, I looked at each individual object, all the while my mind thinking of other things. Then, "Oh, DAMN! It ain't Friday! It's Thursday!" It felt like someone had tied a ton of bricks to my heart and dropped it. My eye twitched with frustration as I yanked at my hair with both of my hands. "Damn it…"

* * *

In the computer room, not a lot of people were present. Misa had come down early to talk to Light about her plan, all the while, he looked at her incredulously. Halfway through her speech, he had interrupted her, telling her that he wasn't interested in helping her scheme up some romance plans when he had a case to work on. Of course, she objected and took Light's hesitancy as an 'ok' to ramble on some more, so Light chose to ignore her and continue his work.

L crouched in a computer chair next to him, handcuffed and eating strawberries. Mello and Matt entered the room some time later, shortly after Misa had given up speaking with Light and just settled with watching him creepily as he worked. Matsuda, who pretty much lived in the building, was up and skimming the internet for things probably not related to the case.

Matt noticed me as I walked into the computer room with a frumpy face on. "Well, good morning, sunshine! How'd you sleep?" he asked in what I knew to be a taunting manner. I gave him one of my 'don't push me' looks and he moved back a bit with his hands up in a 'don't shoot me' gesture. His DS was in his left hand and he was sitting in a chair next to Mello, who was chomping on a chocolate bar impatiently.

"It's ok, Masako. I woke up thinking it was Saturday, but then I realized that it was Thursday and I had to work," Matsuda tried to reassure me. Surprisingly, he was awake at this early hour, some coffee in one hand and holding a computer mouse with the other.

"Matsuda, you go to work on Saturdays, too," I deadpanned.

"Oh…right…" The police officer grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

I really didn't like the fact that even Matsuda was allowed to look at the monitors and see what I was doing. It was bad enough I had creeper L watching my every move. After some serious and tense conversations with L which only took a half hour, we finally managed to get him to remove the cameras in the bathrooms since the three of us weren't main suspects. He gave in saying something along the lines of 'Fine, but your percentage of being Kira's accomplices had just risen' and had also come to the conclusion that privacy was a main issue with teenage girls. I still had my doubts about him taking down _all _of the cameras and wiretaps, though.

"Can we just _go _now?" Mello asked with irritation lacing his voice, not looking forward to spending another long drive with me.

"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming," I shrugged with my school bag in hand as I waved to everyone in the room. "Bye!" I beamed.

"Wait, Masako!" Misa waved. I turned my head to look at Misa. "Did you say bye to Near?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah…whyyyyy?" The word was pulled out of my mouth warily as Misa smiled in a catlike way.

"Well you need to practice for when you two are a couple."

My face grew red as I glared daggers at her. "Shut it, blondie!"

"Hey!" Mello yelled from the door, obviously irritated since his hair was blond as well.

"Let's just go before a cat fight breaks out," Matt ushered us out the door eagerly.

* * *

Kaida's POV

It was nearly three in the afternoon, and it was time to get things started. All I had to do was push a button on my walkie talkie, say the magic words, and _bam! _It would happen. Before the elevator doors opened, I took out my communicating device. "Hey, Ana. I'll try to make it to the park, ok? I need to ask my parents before I leave, though." It was fake, and it worked. Static was heard until a boy's voice came through the speaker.

"Why do I have to have a girl's name?"

I almost panicked. I must've got my numbers mixed up again. "Sorry, sorry. Tell your sister to meet me at the park," I hoped he would catch on.

"Will do," he answered back in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, Ryuzaki~!" I sang as I skipped into the computer room. Seriously – he never leaves.

"Hnn?" he droned into his tea.

"I wanna go somewhere!"

"Oh? And where might that be?"

"Not far, just down the street to the park. Can I go?"

L sighed. "I suppose…Matsuda," the police officer squeaked once his name was called, recalling the last time he was assigned to follow Kaida. "Accompany her, since you're not doing anything to benefit the case."

"Aw, what?" he whined. "I am _so_ working!"

L pushed a button on his keyboard. The image of Misa disappeared and was placed on a separate monitor as a webpage appeared with a girlish title in funky font. It appeared to be a gossiping website and a forum was displayed.

"I see, Matsuda, that you are _very _busy," L stated in a monotone.

"I…what…I don't…" Matsuda stuttered stupidly.

"Perhaps maybe you should take a break from working _so hard_ and take Kaida down to the park."

Matsuda sighed in defeat as his shoulders slumped. "Aw…"

"Come on, Matsui…" I smiled in a demonlike way, earning a fearful look from the police officer.

* * *

"So…uh…the park, huh? Why are we going there?"

"You ask too many questions, Matsui."

I skipped into the park and saw a small group of children of about five or six years of age. They were staring at her as she approached as if they expected her to come. Karasu was perched on top of an abandoned swing set, the swings creaking from waving back and forth with the wind. The park gave off a creepy kind of feeling, and there were very few other kids playing on the jungle gym on the other side of the park.

Number 5 stepped forward and saluted, her long blonde hair shining in the sunlight. "Amaya-sama! Number 9 had done what you had asked!"

I smirked at this. "Bring them here." On my order, the kids began heading for the bushes, taking out a large box that was well hidden from the public eye.

Matsuda looked on with awe in his eyes. "What…what is that, Kaida?"

My smirk widened. "Oh, nothing really. Just something I've been working on for a while."

As the preschoolers pushed the box to me, I took a pocket knife from my shoe and began slicing the tape.

"How did you get that past security?" the police officer asked with bulging eyes.

I turned on him with a glint of authority in my eyes. I held up the knife carelessly and waved it around a bit for emphasis. "How about we not tell Ryuga about this, okaaaaaay?"

Matsuda gulped. "I…don't know if I can do that, Kaida. I have to report it."

My smirk fell as I glared at him. "Are you sure you want to do that? Cause if so…I'll have a little surprise in store for you…"

Matsuda blinked rapidly and was sweating nervously, attempting and failing to keep his cool. "Uh…I guess I could make an exception…J-Just this once, though."

"Good," I hummed a cheery tune to myself as I continued opening the box, then smiling evilly as it was opened. The sight was glorious, and I couldn't wait to try them out. "Matsui, help me load the car."

"What – With _those_?"

"Yes, with these. Is there a problem?" I asked the last part with a shadowed face and a dangerous voice.

"Uh…no. But Ryuga might notice when we come in with all of this stuff."

"Good," I replied with a smirk. "I hope he prepares himself."

I reached into the box and pulled out a nerf gun, fully loaded. I cocked it once before turning to Matsuda and widening my smile.

"Time to play~"

* * *

**Me: …Woah…**

**Matsuda: She threatened me! It wasn't my fault!**

**Me: *pats shoulder* It's ok, Matsuda. She's very frightening.**

**Kaida: Hell yeah! *insert smirk here***

**Mello: Damn it! WHERE! IS! MATT!**

**Me: Hey, Shai's missing too, you know! **

**Everyone: … *shrug***

**Me: Hey! Aren't we gonna go look for them?**

**Mello: Nevermind! I'll do it without him…**

**Me: Do what?**

**Mello: Prank Light.**

**Kaida: I wanna go! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!**

**Mello: Fine, come on.**

**Kaida: WOO!**

**Matsuda: *waves* See ya guys. Leave a review! *twitches on spot nervously***


	33. Special Plans

**I had to rewrite this chapter 3 times. -.- Never sounded quite right, and I tried to shorten it for you guys. It's really dragged out in this chapter and it was supposed to be shorter. But hey, I rewrote this 3 times. Sue me.**

**We're not at the nerf war **_**yet**_**. This chapter's more like a setup for it. Things in this story have been kind of heavy lately, so I thought I'd lighten it up with some fun before we plunged into the dramatics again. If I'm disappointing you guys in any way, well…I don't care. XD Thanks for stickin around, though. **

**I've been trying to figure out where I'm going with this story. Then there's the big question: Kill L? Well, I'm still unsure of the answer, but like I said at some point before – this isn't a heavy story, so I think I'm gonna keep him around (for all those who are wondering). Besides, who's gonna keep stealing Masako's sweets? *raises eyebrow* Oh, and don't even get me started on how crazy this chapter is. Just go with it. I spat it out on my keyboard and it just happened, so I shall pass the blame onto my fingers. ^-^**

**Oh, and a very happy birthday to MELLO! :D 21 I think he is? Bah, whatever. Review for the chocoholic, why don't ya? ;) **

**Thanks reviewers, subscribers, blah blah blah. You know the rest. :)**

**Conveniently Placed Disclaimer at End of First Commentary as Always: I own nothing of Death Note, in any way, shape, or form. Besides my OC characters and possible events that I've made up, nothing belongs to me – except for the little song at the end – borrowing a tune from the all time awesome Freddie, of course. :D **

**

* * *

**Masako's POV

I walked carefully through the hallways, determined not to draw attention to myself. I was abnormal child, and it was hard to keep my odd habits contained. I had to sit properly in my chair, resist the urge to do anything strange or say anything strange, and I couldn't play with paperclips or fold origami in class. I had to sit, pay attention, and act like any other normal student. I also had to _breathe _normally. My breathing was normal at most, but I get excited too easily, which leads to talking loudly, also leading to headaches and back pains as well as hard on the eardrums, which causes me to go lightheaded, thus affecting my breathing. It was a rather odd sequence of events I had to keep up with, and I was never looking forward to try and stop that process in its early stages before I start to act insane.

All in all, the investigation was getting nowhere. My sharp, observant eyes and ears didn't pick up anything odd. There were a few quiet ones in class, but they were the socially awkward ones who probably didn't have the right conscience to hold a Death Note. Everyone else was completely normal. Although I did have my suspicions here and there about random people, I dismissed it as paranoia. Not _everyone _I suspected was going to be Kira. Nothing had been irking me to investigate further, so I simply moved on to the next person.

I yawned as the bell rang, leaving me to be picked on by Tanaka some more. She never left me alone after I rejected her after school invite. She took me as a coward and had a lot of other students behind her, which was rather boring to deal with during the school day. Every day I would merely sigh, tell her off then leave with Kinjo and Tanaka fuming behind. Today was no different.

Kinjo looked at me with shy admiration. "Wow…It's amazing how you manage to come up with those smart comebacks…"

I smirked. "Thanks…I've had tons of practice on my friends back at home, though, so it's no big deal."

"But it is a big deal," she began. "No one has ever talked to Tanaka-san that way before! Usually the person would quit after The Slap."

"The Slap?" I raised an eyebrow at the phrase that appeared to be famous when related to Tanaka as Kinjo went on.

"Yes…she prefers to slap people, even though she's a black belt in karate."

I looked at her incredulously and let out a noise of surprise. _A black belt? Shit!_

"She hasn't done it to you yet, probably because you didn't show up after school on your first day. Remember that?"

I nodded slowly. "Em…I guess so."

"And she's never really had a chance to do it because of teachers and other students. I think you should be more careful from now on…" she warned softly with her hands behind her back.

"So did 'The Slap' occur with everyone?" I found it quite ridiculous that a gesture was given a name like that, but I mentally shook it away.

"Not everyone. Only under certain circumstances, the main ones being that no one can be around to witness it and if Tanaka-san's temper gets too out of hand."

"And has anyone ever done anything about it?"

"They've tried, but Tanaka-san and her group got to them before they could ask for help from guidance counselors or any adults."

I narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about, Kin-san? What exactly does she _do_?"

The petite brunette shook her head as we rounded the corner. "No one knows."

There was a pause. "So I take it this has been done to you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, 'got' to you? I'm just curious. Unless it was someone you knew."

"No, it wasn't me, thankfully. It was just someone that moved here a few months ago that..." Once she realized what she was saying, she closed her mouth and looked forward quickly.

"That…?" I prodded.

"Was killed by Kira…"

I raised an eyebrow. _Kira, you say…? _I've thought about asking around before about the students that were getting killed by 'accidents,' but Near suggested that I didn't. It would've been too suspicious if I asked questions like that, especially since I'm the new kid. We've been waiting for an opportunity to arise just like this one when someone else brought it up. I wanted to use my charismatic skills to gently push the conversation in that direction, but Near simply shook his head and told me that since he hadn't seen or heard that I had such skills, he wouldn't take his chances. Of course, the cost of being careless would be my life, so I didn't push the matter any further.

"Kira? How are you guys _sure _that it's Kira causing the accidents? He only kills criminals."

"Y-Yes, I know…but it's probably just another Kira, is what I'm trying to say."

"What do you mean by 'another Kira'?"

"We – We had this conversation the first day you were here..."

"I already know what Yoshio-san thinks. What do _you _make of the situation?"

"M-Me? Oh…uh…well…" she began to stutter, obviously not used to being asked such a serious question. At this point, we were at the doors and opened them to reveal the outside world.

I simply shook my head. I was going to get nowhere with this girl. "Nevermind. Just forget I even said anything."

Kinjo blinked and nodded vigorously, a faint blush on her face. "R-Right…"

"HONOKA-CHAAAAAAN!" I blinked at my alias and turned my head to see Ringo running towards me.

"Ringo-saAAAAN!" The breath was squeezed out of me as the blond pulled me into a huge bear hug.

"Guess what, guess what, guess what!"

"WHAT!"

His bone-crushing hug was already starting to get to me, and I could feel myself getting lightheaded. "I finally got a good mark on a test!"

"En…Con…_gratz…_" I was literally dying. Death by Ringo: not cool.

"Ringo-kun, I think you're hurting her…" Kin said fearfully as she looked at my red, oxygen deprived face.

"Oops!" he let me go and I dropped to the ground all together, dizzy and disoriented.

"Woah…boy, you have a hell of a lot of muscle…" I rubbed my arms as Kin helped me stand up.

Ringo scratched the back of his head. "Sorry…just excited."

"I can tell…"

"Hey, what're you doing now, by the way?" he asked.

"Uh…I have to get home, why?" I asked.

Ringo looked disappointed as his face fell. "Oh…I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out, but if you're busy…"

"Sorry, Ringo-san. Maybe later, ok?" I assured him quickly.

He then brightened up with a beam, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. It wasn't the first time he got a rejection from me, and I could almost tell that he was starting to wonder if I really _did _have to be 'home.' It made me feel kind of bad. "Alright…"

* * *

Third Person POV

Masako tapped her fingers against the back of the passenger's seat as music filled her ears. She was smart enough to get all of her homework done during lunch, so it was quite a happy time for her. She could go home and rest for a while.

The girl opened her eyes, only to see the angry face of Mello. All he did was stare at her and at first she was confused. Realization dawned on her face as she took out a headphone.

"Stop that," he ordered as he glared harder. Once she nodded and began pouting, Mello turned back around to face front. Masako looked down at her hands, sulking in shame.

They pulled into Task Force Headquarters in silence, as usual. Masako looked out the window and yawned. It wasn't a very tiring day, but it got the best of her like any other school day did.

Masako swore to the heavens and beyond that schools were practically built to drain the life out of sweet, innocent, helpless children. She then had the image of little pixie children with happy faces walking into a jail cell, only to be starved to death by giants standing on the other side of the bars. Disgusted with the image, Masako stuck her tongue out at the invisible giants and climbed out of the car, scenting the car grease from the underground garage. If this had been another ordinary day, she would have slammed the door, but she just didn't have enough energy to do it.

"Hey, I think I'm up for a cupcake or two…" Matt began as he lit a cigarette.

"If anything, you're eating leftovers. Besides, since when do _you _want sweets of any kind?" Masako raised an eyebrow at the gamer who just shrugged in response.

"Since I got hungry. And I guess it hasn't been mentioned to you that Ryuzaki stole most of the cupcakes."

"Oh, not the ones on the counter!"

Matt nodded gravely. "The ones on the counter."

"Not again…Damn you, Ryuzaki…" Masako sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand enclosed around the handle of her schoolbag. "Glad I stashed some jell-o in the fridge…You can have that."

"He stole that, too."

Masako's hand froze and fell to her side as she stared at him in shock. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

"_Damn_," she pronounced through her teeth, yet again.

"So…I was thinking vanilla this time."

"Make some chocolate, too. I'm running low, again."

The girl turned an angry gaze on Mello, who held a glint of authority in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you said the magic word."

"I'm not saying the damn magic world; just make me some fucking chocolate cupcakes." Judging by his tone, they've been through a conversation similar to this one before.

Her eyes darkened and her voice dropped to a low, vibrating voice. "Those aren't very nice words."

Mello raised an eyebrow at her and moved his chocolate bar a few inches away from his mouth to observe her more intensely. She was _clearly _not using a threatening tone with him. She wouldn't _dare._

The three were now waiting for the elevator to reach the computer room to give a 'we're getting nowhere' report. The elevator seemed rather small for Masako's liking, and was fidgeting in the corner of the cold, blank walls.

The elevator doors opened sooner than the brunette expected, but she managed to snap out of it in time as the boys stepped out into the room. L was crouching on his chair in his usual position with sweets of all kinds set up neatly before him. Much of them were Masako's cupcakes, and she narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth in sheer annoyance. The sound of a spoon clanking against glass echoed throughout the room as he slowly stirred his tea. His eyes were practically glued to the large monitor in front of him.

Light was still handcuffed to the misleading detective and he was scanning computer files on his laptop screen. Matsuda was gulping down caffeine and he seemed to be rushing through something, though no one really bothered to ask him what he was doing. His panicked expression gave one the impression that he was far from tidy, and his papers were scattered loosely around the coffee table. The Chief was sitting directly across from him with his own files at hand, casting glances at the rookie police officer to make sure that a) he was doing his job and b) he didn't go insane from all of that caffeine he was drinking. Mogi was in the room, surprisingly, looking as though he had just gotten on a break since he was silently staring off into space with his gaze directed at a certain spot on the table in front of him. Aizawa was nowhere to be seen, which caused Masako to observe the room more thoroughly in case she missed him somewhere. Nope. He wasn't here. Neither was Watari, but he was never in the room.

"I suppose you didn't find anything, as usual. Correct?" L asked without turning around or acknowledging the three in any way. If you didn't know whose voice just eliminated the silence in the room, you'd look every which way to see who had spoke. The slouched detective didn't make a single movement and the lowest possible sound would bounce on every single wall, being heard three times louder than it should have been heard.

"We didn't learn a lot today, but what was vague before is clear now; the kids Masako hangs out with are picking up on another Kira."

"Do explain."

As Mello went into the details of today's conversation, the remaining two got the 'you can leave now' signal from Light, and they were now traveling up to Masako's floor.

"Vanilla, you say?" Masako asked with a quirked brow.

"Yeah. Got a problem?" Matt looked up from his game and pinned her with a blank gaze.

She cradled her head in her hands. "No. Just wondering what made you want sweets. Usually you're not asking for any."

The goggled teen shrugged, his usual way of dismissing unimportant matters. "I just want cupcakes today. Don't judge me."

"Judging~" she sang in a monotone as the elevator doors opened. "Am I making cupcakes or cake?"

"I said cupcakes, didn't I?"

"Just making sure."

Her foot fell with exhaustion on the tiled floor of the small kitchen. She really wasn't up for this. "Do you have to have cupcakes today?" Masako whined in a tone that implied that she was about to drop dead at any moment.

"You don't _have _to…but I _want _cupcakes, so…"

Masako sighed. "Way to give me a straight answer."

Eggs, flour, vegetable oil, and a bunch of other stuff was a basic routine for the usually hyperactive girl. She threw them together and robotically mixed them, focusing on not falling asleep.

She blinked in realization. "Ah, I forgot the vanilla…" Masako set down the bowl and scoured the cupboards. She sighed in exasperation. Where the hell was it?

Something tapped her shoulder and she turned around, giving a start when a pale, albino hand was holding out the small bottle of vanilla. "Near?"

"Yes?" His finger was twirled around one of his thick locks and he tilted his head to the side in question.

Masako took the bottle from him and added the correct amount to the bowl. "Did you need something?"

"I wanted to discuss something with you, but if you are busy, I can wait."

She raised an eyebrow and paused her constant mixing, giving him a strange look. "How important is it?"

"It has nothing to do with the case, so take your time."

Masako lifted her head up as she began to nod, but stopped when she realized that she still didn't understand what he was getting at. After narrowing her eyes, she finished her nod and resumed to slowly mix the soon-to-be cupcakes. She stood rather awkwardly when she found that he wasn't moving to sit down at all. Near stood in the same position, holding his elbow with his left hand as his right hand continued to twirl his hair. His eyes seemed distant, but they were strayed on Masako which made her rather uncomfortable.

"Do…you…wanna go sit down?" she inquired slowly, a hint of confusion in her voice.

He sighed. "I suppose." The genius retreated to the back of the kitchen and sat on the floor in the corner with one leg curled up to his chest and the other resting on the floor at an awkward angle.

Masako threw a cautious glance in Near's direction before doing her best to ignore his staring while she continued baking.

* * *

Matsuda shifted uncomfortably and downed another cup of coffee, the random jitters causing papers to fall from his hands. Every now and again, he would either not notice dropping them or pick them up as quickly as possible while knocking other things over in the process.

"Matsuda, I think you've had enough coffee."

"B-B-But Chief! I need t-t-t-t-this!"

Mogi stared at him warily. "You don't look so good…Are you alright?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah, no sweat. J-J-J-J-Just fine. Don't worry ab-bout m-m-me," the seemingly sick police officer shot up from the couch suddenly, knocking all of his papers to the floor for a final time and smashing his knee against the table in front of him. He didn't seem to notice. "I'll be back!"

"Matsuda, sit down!" Soichiro ordered. "You don't need another cup of coffee. Just what kind are you drinking?"

"He's probably using the strong stuff I left in the kitchen," Mogi confessed in a low, shameful voice. "It's supposed to give you extra energy during the day. It…helps me stay awake."

"R-R-Really? I-I-I-I-I didn't s-s-s-see the lab-b-bel," the restless Matsuda informed as he sprinted to the door of the kitchen.

"Wait, Matsuda!" But Soichiro was too late, and Matsuda had already disappeared behind the door.

Mogi was seen rubbing his forehead with his hand. "Sorry, Chief. I'll hide it next time."

He sighed and lifted his glasses with his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "See to it that you do."

"Mr. Yagami."

"What is it?"

L remained frozen in his chair as he spoke in his usual monotonous voice. "Come here, please. Light, I will need your observation skills as well."

Light pushed himself slightly to slide over next to L and Soichiro stood abruptly, alertness practically carved into his face.

"What do you think she is doing?" the quirky detective questioned, tilting his head at one of the smaller monitors toward the left corner of the wall. The dull monitor displayed a clear picture of Kaida, who seemed to be scribbling something down on paper. Her tongue was sticking out of her mouth in an awkward fashion and once she was done, she stood up to admire her work. No one could tell what was on those sheets of paper, but they each had a string tied through a hole at the top and a piece of tape stuck to the other end of the string.

Soichiro's eyebrows furrowed at the scene. "Are those…drawings?"

"It looks like we're about to find out," L's thumb rested on his lower lip as he stared at the monitor. His dull orbs burned into it with curiosity as the girl on the screen moved up to the camera with one of the papers and stuck the tape on the ceiling, letting the picture suspend in front of the camera and blocking their view.

"What the…?" was Light's intelligent response.

Mogi turned around from his seat on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"Does she really think we'll fall for that?" Light narrowed his eyes at the poorly drawn image of Kaida's room. It was entirely in blue crayon, and all of the furniture that was previously shown on the screen before was drawn out sloppily. In the middle of the empty drawing was a black outlined stick figure with curled hair drawn with yellow crayon. The person had been given the label 'Me' above the stick figure's head.

L gave a start when another monitor was covered. "This is a trap."

"She's making it fairly obvious that she's hiding something," Light added to the deduction. "Unless this is to lure us into her room for a trap of some sort, as Ryuzaki had said."

"A trap?" Soichiro's voice held surprise as he glanced at his son with endless confusion.

"I don't understand _how _and _why _she would trap us, but with Kaida's personality, there's no doubt that she's planning something…"

L sighed. "We need to get someone up there as soon as possible to stop her from whatever she's about to do. This may have something to do with Kira, so we can't let our guards down. Treat this situation like an arrest and bring Kaida to me! Everyone, now!" he ordered.

The two raced out of the room, leaving L to his own thoughts, despite Light being handcuffed to him. He didn't believe that Kaida was all that threatening, no matter what she said, but there wasn't something right about those drawings that she had made to put up in front of the cameras. Why not a blank sheet of paper? If she was doing something she wasn't supposed to do, wouldn't she take it more seriously? Why go through the trouble of drawing the room? Obviously, she was mocking them. This made L wonder what exactly she was up to, but he didn't find it safe for himself to go with the Task Force and infiltrate the room.

Annoyed with his current situation, but slightly curious, his thumb retreated from his lip to his knee. He gave a slight smile as his eyes shined with excitement as the possibilities unfolded rapidly in his mind.

* * *

"Let me know when the timer beeps. I need to take a shower," Masako ordered the albino, who gave a silent nod.

Only twenty minutes until the pastries would be ready, and she hoped she wouldn't have to cook again soon. She liked baking, yes. But doing it everyday was rather irritating – especially when she goes to her floor craving sweets after a long day at school only to find that there's nothing in her kitchen.

_20 minutes later…_

There was a soft, barely audible knock on the door. "Masako, they're ready," Near raised his voice slightly so he could be heard. Masako had to strain her ears to hear and just sighed. That was Near for you.

"Take them out, please!" she called as she finished washing her hair. She didn't get a reply, and she imagined that he had just given a nod. She had stayed in an extra ten minutes just to feel the warm water roll down her back. It was nice to relax every once in a while.

Masako yawned as she climbed out of the shower. She was feeling a little tired, but slightly jumpy. It was one of those moods of hers when she randomly twitched without reason. The brunette looked down at the floor in deep thought, drying her hair and thinking about the case in general. It made her wonder just how many Kiras there were, and if many, how to catch them all.

She blinked, slowly coming back to reality. "I wouldn't be surprised if we only manage to catch the Third Kira and not the second or the first…" she mumbled almost inaudibly.

There was a soft knock on the door that echoed throughout the bathroom. "Yo, Masako!" Matt. "Are you taking these cupcakes out any time soon? It looks like they're gonna catch fire," the gamer said as calm as ever.

Masako went wide-eyed before throwing and securing a towel around her and barreling out of the bathroom, pushing Matt aside. With her hair still wet, she sprinted into the kitchen and grabbed oven mitts, opening the oven slightly. A few puffs of smoke came out before she quickly shut it and turned the appliance off. Panicking, she went in search for the fire alarm so it wouldn't go off, which was easier said than done. After about thirty seconds of searching, Masako found it right above her head. The girl nearly slapped herself when it was practically right under her nose. She climbed on the counter and swiped it from its lonely place on the wall and took out the batteries. She held the top of her towel before she crouched down and jumped off of the counter, racing to the oven to take out the now horribly burnt cupcakes.

"Near, I thought I told you to take these out!" Masako was furious. Did this kid really need a hearing aid?

"I apologize…I didn't hear what you had instructed me to do."

"Apparently!" she snapped at him, trying to avoid getting smoke on her just cleaned hair and face.

The teen girl's eye twitched as she stared at the brown meshes now lying on the top of the stove. She _so_ wasn't making anymore today.

Matt leaned on the counter and gave her a sly look. "Hey, cutie. Come here often?"

Masako narrowed her eyes at him, confused until she realized that she was wearing a relatively short towel and nothing else. Now, she always thought that she wouldn't be embarrassed if she was seen in a towel, as long as everything was covered. But when you have someone staring you down, it made Masako slightly uncomfortable. Oh, who was she kidding? Her face grew the color of tomatoes as she grabbed an oven mitt and smacked him across the face several times. It was fabric, so it wasn't very effective. Nonetheless, Matt retreated back many steps.

"Alright, alright! Just teasing!"

* * *

The elevator opened and the remaining two Task Force members (being Soichiro and Mogi) ran across the living room and opened the door to the bedroom. "Kaida! You will be taken in-" He was about to read off her rights and inform her that she was going into custody, but there was no one in the room. The two police officers looked around with confused expressions, unsure of where she could have gone. For safety measures, Soichiro took out his gun. Mogi looked at him in astonishment while the Chief just waved him off, giving him a 'just in case' signal. Mogi nodded, now understanding, and took out his own gun as they slowly searched the room.

After looking at most of the obvious hiding places, Mogi cautiously stepped over to the closet, slowly reaching for the knob, turning it…

The door swung open from force applied on the inside and the usually silent police officer let out a yell of surprise. Kaida was in an L crouch, except her foot was sticking out in midair from kicking open the door. In her hand, a medium-sized nerf gun.

Before he could react, Kaida had already pulled the trigger and a green nerf hit him square in the forehead. For a moment, Mogi was momentarily confused. He had one of those 'really?' looks on his face. That was, until he felt dizzy.

"Kaida, what are you doing?" Soichiro had his 'don't mess with me' face on and the chocoholic merely smirked and pulled back the handle, the barrel rolling to another nerf.

"Answer me!"

Kaida stood and lifted a foot. "Why, I'm coming out of the closet," the Chief gasped at the random statement before a green nerf came his way, hitting him on the nose. Mogi fell to the floor, apparently unconscious. It wasn't long before Soichiro fell to the ground as well, landing hard on his side.

The blonde shook her head, making her way over to them and retrieving her nerfs.

"Kaida Amaya," a voice resounded throughout the room. "You are under arrest for assult-"

"Save it, detective," Kaida replied in a smug sort of way, tilting her head to the side as she spoke. "I'm sure you probably want me arrested right now, but don't worry. No harm has come to your precious little Task Force. They're just…a little held up right now."

* * *

Watari waited patiently as the elevator descended to the ground floor. His arms were at his sides and his small, round glasses reflected the light from the elevator. The elevator doors opened to view two men stationed behind a counter.

"Hey, there you are," the closest one greeted. He grabbed an envelope from one of the lower counters and handed it to the elder, who seized it with care. "We must've missed that one when getting the mail this morning."

"We? It was you who got the mail," the slightly taller man argued.

Stuttering followed in response. "R-Right, uh, sorry. Anyway, it didn't seem like it came with anything else."

Watari nodded. "Thank you, gentlemen," he turned around and headed back to the elevator. The envelope wasn't addressed to anyone, so the old orphanage founder assumed that the letter had been addressed to L. How they would know where he was…It was impossible. His location was untraceable. So if not to L, then who was the letter supposed to be sent to? Perhaps Watari? No. Same thing. Untraceable. It was also sent in the middle of the day, regardless of what the officers in the lobby said. Watari was smarter than that.

Watari had other ideas, but none of that mattered. All mail sent to the Task Force went straight to L.

He stepped into the computer room, everyone gone except L and Light. They were both staring at the monitor intently, which was displaying…a drawing?

"Ryuzaki, a blank envelope had just appeared in the mail. Would you like it now?"

"Hm?" the detective turned in his chair curiously. He narrowed his eyes at the envelope, but nodded nonetheless. Once he had it and Watari was dismissed, he opened it cautiously with his fingertips, ripping it open perfectly before reading the letter enclosed within.

"Light?"

"What?"

"Follow me, please."

"What for?" Light asked as he pulled himself out of his chair.

"I need to go check on something."

"And you can't check on the cameras?"

"This isn't something displayed on the monitors, Light. Follow me, please," L repeated as he dragged him to the elevator, carrying the letter with him as well.

About a minute later, Kaida's voice came through the speakers around the monitors. "What's wrong, Ryuzaki? Got nothing to say?" When there was no reply, she took advantage of this and raced down the steps. It would be tremendously awkward and inconvenient if she were to take the elevator only to run into L and Light on the way, or someone else who's after her.

Kaida raced to the computers, eyes sparkling with mischief as she grabbed the intercom and L's computer – unplugging everything that was necessary – and racing down another flight of stairs before exiting the building. Hating the lack of energy she had to expend, but ignoring it, the blonde kept on running; down the street, turning a corner, and getting lightheaded to the point where she had come close to forgetting where she was going.

"Finally!" she called as she reached the park. It took her a few minutes, but she had made it.

Kaida walked heavily into the park, a group of preschoolers waiting for her. "Number 9," a boy with black hair and slightly askew glasses stood at attention and saluted. "Good work, today." She dug her hand into her so called 'magic' pockets to see what she could find, and pulled out a chocolate bar, throwing it his way. "Enjoy."

The boy let out a yell of happiness as he caught the candy bar, tearing open the wrapper and beginning to eagerly devour its contents.

Kaida sat down on the grass and opened L's laptop, keeping the intercom plugged in. It was a good thing L had wifi. Unsure of what was what, she clicked on an icon that looked like it would activate the intercom. A bunch of pictures popped up on screen instead, and Kaida noticed that they were the cameras that L had set up. She smirked. "Bingo." Giving up with the icons on the desktop, she pushed many of the buttons on the intercom speaker, moving her face closer to the item.

"Testing," her voice ringed with many other voices of different pitches, and she flinched at the sound. She turned down the volume on the laptop and pushed the buttons again, returning them to their normal position. "Testing…" her voice was filtering through the monitor perfectly, which meant that she had succeeded in getting them to work. Now all she had to do was find out if they heard her or not.

"Hm…Nomnomnomnomnom…" Kaida furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she tried to come up with something fancy to say. The chocoholic tilted her head at the screen, noticing that Soichiro and Mogi were just starting to wake up. The tranquilizer was wearing off. L and Light were no where to be seen on screen, Watari was…not on screen either, Matsuda was getting hyped up over the coffee maker (he was so jittery that he kept missing the buttons), Shai was in her room humming a Pokemon tune as she tapped away at her DS, Aizawa was nowhere to be seen, Mello was nibbling on his chocolate while sitting on a comfy looking chair lost in thought, Near and Matt were in the kitchen on Masako's floor, and Masako herself was…wearing a towel? Kaida blinked and shook her head, not wanting to know why this was, even though she was faintly curious.

"Huh?" Kaida noticed a button behind the intercom and reached out to press it. "I wonder what this button does~" As soon as she pressed it, however, she smacked her head off of the side of the speaker while moving back. It made a screeching noise, and pretty much everyone on the monitor flinched at the noise.

She smiled. "SUCCESS!"

Everyone looked toward the walls, perplexed.

"Testing, testing! I like chocolate and shiny things~!" she sang the last part in a happy-go-lucky tone. She giggled to herself away from the speaker. This was amusing. "Now…DANCE MY MINIONS!"

Her lighthearted order was met with furrowed and raised eyebrows. Kaida laughed into the speaker. "Haha, ok. Now we're really gonna have some fun!" she set down the speaker as she reached under and behind her jacket, pulling out her medium-sized nerf gun. She thought for a moment on what to say – preferably something smart. "Green Tea will sing you a lullaby and oranges will be deadly. If you are exposed, you will be shot. Survivors shall be shot again," after her little riddle speech, she began to sing in a strange tune. No. She wasn't going crazy with power. What would make you think such a thing? "One, two. Kaida's coming for you. Three, four. Gonna sing some more. Five, six. Gotta eat some Trix. Seven, eight. Games are good for bait. Nine, ten. Better fear the pen~" she sang randomly, an evil glint in her eyes. After that, she added a creepy laugh for dramatic affect before turning off the intercom in mid-laugh.

Kaida breathed a sigh as she exit out of everything and closed the laptop. She smiled at herself, proud of what she had done.

"Number 16..." she ordered, as calm as could be. "Buy me some candy for the trip back."


	34. Green vs Orange

**Hey peeps. *waves* Long time no see. Been busy with stuff here and there. Happy Holidays (even though I'm late) and a very Happy Birthday to MATSUDA (even though I'm late for that, too)! :D Hope you've had an awesome birthday, buddy! …Hm? Oh, it seems that Misa's birthday was in December as well. May 2011 be filled with misery and suffering for her. Muahaha. No. I'm not that mean. I just want to kick her out of the country instead of having her in the same building. I can only dream…**

**I loved the reviews, guys. 150. Glad you like it. :) We're goin good with this. Let's see where this chapter takes us.**

**NOTE: I have future chapters planned out, for once. This means faster updates. Woohoo! This chap's just building off of the setup I wrote last chapter. Next chapter's gonna be complete and total chaos. Bring on the mental illnesses! *fist pump***

**Disclaimer: Death Note no mine. Comprendo?**

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* * *

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"_Now…DANCE MY MINIONS!_"

Shai raised an eyebrow, giving the closest wall a 'really, Kaida? _Really_?' look. A scratchy and haunting laugh echoed behind her.

"I sense another round of entertainment~! It's about time!" There was a loud shuffling sound as Ketsueki zoomed through the air and slammed onto the couch next to Shai, who jumped at the rapid movement.

"_Haha, ok. Now we're really gonna have some fun!_"

"Ketsueki?"

"What?"

"Do you know something I don't about this situation?"

"Maybe…" he laughed, reaching for the bowl of cherries on the coffee table. Shai slapped his skeletal black fingers away and tossed her DS aside while grabbing the bowl and pulling it closer to her.

"Mine."

"_Green Tea will sing you a lullaby and oranges will be deadly. If you are exposed, you will be shot. Survivors shall be shot again._"

"Ew…Green Tea…" Ketsueki commented, gritting his skull-like teeth in disgust.

"Shush," the brunette ordered. She pushed up her glasses and leaned forward on her place on the sofa, a wary look on her face.

"_One, two. Kaida's coming for you. Three, four. Gonna sing some more. Five, six. Gotta eat some Trix. Seven, eight. Games are good for bait. Nine, ten. Better fear the pen~_"

"What the-"

Ketsueki was cut off by a low laugh that sounded more creepy than his own. It rang through the speakers for a few seconds before it was mysteriously cut off.

Shai blinked. This couldn't mean well.

She leapt off of the couch and slammed the bowl of cherries on the table, shoving some in her pocket as well as her DS in her back pocket.

"Huh? Where are you going?" the shinigami lifted his head in confusion as Shai raced to the door.

"This way!" she shouted sarcastically.

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" Masako raised an eyebrow as a few of her fingers twitched.

"Looks like Kaida's got something up her sleeve," Matt concluded while putting his hands behind his head.

"This can't be good…" Masako put a finger to her chin. "What up with all the riddles?"

"They didn't really sound like riddles…more like instructions."

"Hm?" Masako's head lifted to put Matt in her line of vision. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, the first thing she said was 'Green Tea will sing you a lullaby.' It sounds like she's going after L first, since none of us usually drink Green Tea."

"Shai drinks it, sometimes."

"Okay, but you'd think she'd be going after someone for revenge, thus making L her number one suspect."

"Right, the surveillance…But what about the oranges? Oh, what did she say…" Masako's eyes wandered to the floor, but something caught the light and glinted dangerously. She lost her trail of thought for a second, and the light seemed to have come from Matt's direction, but she dismissed it. Without missing a beat, she spoke after a decent amount of thought processing. "Oranges will be deadly?"

"Now _that _might be a riddle. But since oranges and Green Tea are in the same sentence, they're probably related somehow."

"I don't think L's been eating oranges lately…" her eyebrows furrowed in thought, trying to make sense of everything that had just been said. "Knowing Kaida, she would try to lead us in one direction while she would go the other. I wouldn't put it past her if she went after Shai instead of L. It would most likely be L, but what if she means something else when she says Green Tea? I mean it's a specific item, so obviously-"

The elevator doors opened just then and Shai raced into the room. "We need to lea – why are you wearing a towel?" the unexpected visitor narrowed her eyes in confusion at the display before her, confusion written clearly on her face.

Masako grew bright red and she just shook her head. "T-That doesn't matter. What were you saying?"

Shai's eyes flickered from Matt to Near before raising an eyebrow at the albino. "I don't know, Masako. This looks kind of suspicious if you ask me."

"Oh, would you just tell me what you were going to say already!"

Shai shook her head with a faint amused smile on her face before turning serious again. "I was going to say that we needed to get out of here…..fast."

"Think Kaida's comin' for us?" Matt asked; not as a question to seek an answer, but a question directed towards mutual thinking as if to ask 'you think so, too?'

Shai nodded. "I _know _she's coming for us. But I don't know how much time we have left," she gave Masako a worried gaze and the short-haired girl caught on immediately.

Kaida said something along the lines of 'fear the pens.' If it was someone else saying these words, you'd think of Mikami at the end of the anime. Since this is Kaida and they know that she doesn't actually _kill _people, it's all the more dangerous. The possibilities were endless.

"Do we even know where Kaida is?"

"No," Shai answered. "Unless you two know," she eyed the boys carefully, daring them to tell a lie.

"I might be able to hack into the system and find out where she was broadcasting from, but with L's security on this building being so tight, it won't be easy. I don't think I even have the time to mess around with it, given Kaida's little speech. But aren't you guys taking this a little bit too seriously? L wouldn't let Kaida run around his headquarters like a madwoman. It's really-"

Matt was cut off when Shai grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and shook him a bit. "Do you have any idea what Kaida is capable of? Of course you don't, you ignorant little fool. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said that. Use your head next time, man," she knocked her fist against his head once before releasing him and turning her attention back to Masako, who was ignoring their little spat.

"Think…" Masako started. "Is there only one intercom in the building?"

"Now _that_ I don't know. Maybe Ryuzaki has spares, but the only way Kaida could access all of the speakers in the building is with L's laptop."

"Which means that Kaida must've stolen his laptop somehow."

"Impossible," Shai threw in. "That laptop is like Ryuzaki's familiar. He never moves from his seat in the computer room and when he does, there's no one else there, or anywhere else for that matter. We left the computer room a while ago with his laptop in front of him, so I don't think Kaida could've stolen that in the short amount of time given from then until now."

"I don't know, Kaida's smart when she wants to be. She could've lured L away from his computer somehow. You know how good of a liar she is," Masako shuffled her bare feet on the cold floor rather uncomfortably.

"Ah, but L's a liar, too. Better than all of us combined, no doubt," Shai's eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at the ceiling in thought.

"Liar or not, I don't think we'll make good time by waiting for Kaida to come."

"Matt's right. I don't know what Kaida's up to, but I'm sure it's going to be fairly painful and humiliating," Shai answered, her voice taking on a slight fearful tone. Only slight.

"All right, let me just go get changed," Masako turned on her heel quickly, but before she could step forward, one of the two doors in the living room burst open to reveal Kaida holding a nerf gun. It seemed that she had come with her own theme music as well, since as soon as she had arrived, a box speaker hooked onto her belt came alive with dramatic notes bouncing off of the walls. It looked button-activated, and lightning could be heard as well.

"I'm coming to take you away, haha!" Kaida declared at the four in the kitchen. The nerf gun was pointed their way and the width of the living room was all there was between them.

Shai's lips pressed together firmly and narrowed her eyes. "Really, Kaida?"

"Don't underestimate me~!" the crazy blonde sang as she pointed the nerf gun in their direction.

"Woah, there!" Masako threw out both of her arms in attempts to keep peace. "No need to be violent. Aren't _I _supposed to be the crazy one, here?"

"I highly suggest running," Kaida ignored Masako's protests and smirked as she pulled the trigger. A flash of green shot through the air and made contact with Matt's nose, causing him to step back slightly.

"Wow, that was _so _frightening," Shai mumbled sarcastically.

"What is this, some kind of joke?" yelled Masako as she eyed the dart with disbelief.

Matt blinked and started to sway.

"Matt?" the two girls questioned. Shai reached out and caught him as he was about to fall.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Get it off…"

"Huh?"

"The…dart…"

Masako's hand threw forward and she ripped the dart off of Matt's nose, dropping it off to the side quickly. "It's gotta be drugged," she stated with concern, looking over Matt's fatigued face.

"Do I have to say it again?" Kaida sighed loudly and shook her head, lowering the gun in the process. "Run, damn it! It's not gonna be fun if you just sit there like a bunch lamp posts! SCRAMBLE!" she threw up her nerf gun yet again and fired many shots under the archway of the kitchen, as well as over the counter.

"EEP!" Masako squeaked as she grabbed Near's sleeve and lunged for a safe spot in front of the sink. Shai threw herself in their direction, dodging darts that were being fired. "You're kidding, right? This is so stupid…"

Masako nodded. "I know…Who does she think she is to just barge in here unexpectedly and shoot nerfs at everyone? It's insanity!"

"No, I mean it's stupid that we don't have nerf guns to fire back with."

The toweled girl thought for a moment, then shrugged. "That, too."

"Damn it…" they heard Kaida say. The clinking of plastic could be heard.

"Now's our chance!" Masako whisper-shouted as her grip on Near's sleeve released to grab his hand. "Come on!" yanking the albino off the ground, she dashed around the corner counter and out of the kitchen, sprinting towards the elevator.

"That's more like it!" Kaida yelled after them as she tried to load her gun with as many nerfs as it could carry. She seemed to be going slower than one would imagine, most likely because she wanted to have the thrill of the chase and give them time to escape.

Masako pushed the 'up' button several times, and after a solid three seconds, she gave up and groaned loudly in exasperation. "This way!" and with that, she sprinted to the stairs with one hand clutching the top of her towel and the other dragging Near along.

A loud snap could be heard and Kaida laughed. "Let the games begin!" she sprinted after them.

Shai sighed and stood up once Kaida's footsteps had faded.

"Wait…"

Her mind stopped processing the need to go forward and instead turned to Matt, who was still lying on the floor, trying to stay awake.

"Are you really…gonna leave me here?"

Shai sighed and crouched down to kneel beside him. "Well, you're kind of down for the count. There would be no sense in dragging you along. Not to mention you might be a little tough to carry while running for my life," she turned her head and put her hands on her knees for support, getting ready to stand up.

"Wait..." he repeated. When he was sensing that Shai was ignoring him, he spoke up again. "My little princess…"

This made the female gamer stop dead in her tracks. Slowly, she turned her head. "What?"

"Don't leave…my angel…my _goddess_…"

"Uh…um…well…" Shai stared at him disbelievingly. It sounded like something from a horribly cheesy movie, not to mention he was kinda bad at acting. Did he hit his head on the way down?

"I'm your prince…right?" he struggled to say the words. Whatever drug was in the nerf was winning over his battle for consciousness. "And a prince must never leave his princess…right?"

"Technically, _I'm _leaving _you_…"

"But it's true…that they shouldn't be separated…and one shares the fate of the other."

"Ok, no more Mario for you. You can cross off Kingdom Hearts, too. And any other games with even the slightest hint of romance."

He raised a gloved hand to take her bare, pale one and pulled it close to his lips. "Please…don't leave me…" he whispered.

At this point, Shai felt every single bit of heat in her body rush up to her face. She felt shy, but confident. Confused, but understanding. She felt odd. She felt…something cold clap around her wrist.

"Gotcha…" Matt slowly closed his eyes and was asleep instantly.

Shai pulled back her hand from Matt's weakened grip and looked at the handcuffs in disbelief; one was dangling on her right wrist and the other was closed around Matt's. All traces of redness were drained from her face. "Asshole"

* * *

"Ryuzaki, why were we checking your sweets in the basement when we have a case to work on?"

L sighed. "Light, I don't think you have your priorities straight," the detective shook his head and pushed a button on the elevator, causing it to drift upwards once the doors slid shut.

"Priorities? Ryuzaki!" Light looked at the detective in astonishment.

L simply glanced at him before returning his gaze to the buttons on the elevator wall. "No need to be so serious. I was only joking."

"What…" Light sighed. "Nevermind. I think we need to take this case more seriously if we're going to catch Kira."

L's eyes traveled to the nicely polished floor. "Besides you and Misa, we have no leads on who the real Kira or the Second Kira are."

"Then maybe we should look harder!" Light seemed to grow agitated again due to being suspected as Kira; as usual.

"Perhaps…" his eyes seemed distant with a solemn tint that spread through their depths. The hand that enclosed around the side of the envelope tightened its grip as the elevator came to a halt.

The elevator doors let out a chorus of machinery sounds as the gears worked to open the doors.

"Would you be happy if you had some cake?" Light suggested, sensing L's depression.

"Not entirely, but I suppose it would make me feel a little better," he was about to step out into the empty space leading to the stairs and computer room until Masako barreled passed them with Near in tow, heading for the automatic doors.

L blinked at the scene and set his foot back on the floor, stepping back.

"I think we should wait here for a bit," Light suggested.

"Great minds think alike," L responded in a monotone.

The doors closed and the elevator gently flew upwards, causing the two geniuses to eye the dial above the doors suspiciously.

"Someone's using the elevator. Maybe they'll know what's going on," the college student crossed his arms and continued to watch the dial swing slowly to the right with each passing floor.

"Good afternoon, Shai. Matt," L greeted.

Shai stumbled into the elevator with Matt resting on top of her back. They were handcuffed together, and Shai seemed to be struggling with the weight. "Ryuzaki," she greeted and let out a grunt while trying to shift positions a bit so the goggled teen on her back didn't fall off.

"What happened? Is Matt all right?" the concerned voice came from Light.

"Yeah. He's just…a little tired."

"Did you hear Kaida's announcement over the intercom?" he asked quickly.

Shai nodded and informed them of the recent events with Kaida as the elevator floated down to the conference room.

* * *

"Masako, where are we going?" Near questioned in a strangled voice as the brunette ran on.

"Green Tea will sing you a lullaby!"

"Please…slow down!"

"Oranges will be deadly! What the hell does it all mean?"

Masako rounded a corner and came to a halt, dropping Near's hand and putting her own on her knee to keep herself steady. They both panted, trying to catch their breath.

"Green Tea…Could she have meant both the tea _and _the color of the nerf dart? It knocked Matt out straight away – just what exactly did she do to those things?"

"Masako-"

"Nerf darts usually come in orange, but surely Kaida didn't set them up to kill. If the green ones knock you out and the orange ones are worse with the 'oranges are deadly' phrase…I don't understand this. Near, what do you think?"

All he did was stare at her.

"Well?" Masako prodded.

Near looked like he wanted to say something off topic, but whatever it was, he kept quiet about it. "She's toying with us," he brought his fingers to his hair and twirled some white locks. "I wouldn't go as far to say that the orange nerf darts are _worse_ than the green ones. Perhaps she wants us to pretend that oranges are more deadly than the greens."

"That makes sense!" Masako interrupted. "If we get hit with orange, that might mean we're out of her little game!"

"Don't rely completely on that deduction. I was merely throwing it out there."

"Right, right. Uhu…" Masako seemed to ignore him since the gleam of realization was still showing brightly in her eyes.

They were in the corner of the computer room far away from the elevator and stairs, but in a position where it was easy to get out of the way in case Kaida decided to drop in and attack.

Suddenly, sounds of glass and metal meeting hard floor met their ears abruptly. Masako jumped slightly and stared at the kitchen door in question. "I'm slightly fearful of checking what that was."

"It's most likely not Kaida," Near voiced.

"Then maybe it's one of the Task Force members!" Masako raced to the door and swung it open. "HEEEEEEEEYYYyyyyyy…..Matsuda?"

Matsuda was lying on the floor with a strange and delirious look on his face. He was covered in coffee grinds and his teeth chattered at only a coldness he could feel. Broken glass, the silverware drawer not too far away, and the silverware themselves surrounded him.

"What are you doing? Why are you chattering your teeth? I know you're a _chatterbox_ and everything but seriously…haha, get it?" Masako smirked and put her hands on her hips looking out into the invisible sunset in a proud way.

"M-M-Masako? What are y-y-you…AH!" the police officer nearly jumped in surprise.

"WHAT? WHERE? WHO? WHY? HOW?" the girl screamed and her head whipped back and forth with every question, afraid that Matsuda was yelling in surprise because of Kaida.

Matsuda, still jittery, turned himself around on the floor and stared at a certain point on the wall with shy eyes. "W-Why are y-y-you on-nly wearing a t-towel?"

At first, her eye merely twitched with annoyance and disbelief. It wasn't her fault. At least, she didn't think so.

"Matsuda…" she cracked her knuckles with a glint in her eyes and fire seemed to well up behind her. As if on cue, she threw her fist forward, which collided with Matsuda's head. He let out an 'A-HOW!' before grabbing his now throbbing skull. "_I'm _asking the questions," she had on a forced smirk and cracked her knuckles some more, daring the police officer to say anything else having to do with her lack of clothing.

Near stayed where he was, surveying the scene with a blank expression, but a flicker of fear was in his eyes. How she managed to have sudden mood swings like this was beyond him. Not only two minutes ago, she had been from worried to serious. Then she turned to panicking and then anger. "Perhaps maybe you should find a change of clothes, Masako," he suggested as calm as Masako had ever heard him. She knew then that he was obviously trying too hard to stay that way.

She nodded determinedly and pounded a fist over her heart. "Will do. But first, our report! Our secret base has been infiltrated and taken over by, what they shall now be called as, The _Kaida_ Team."

Matsuda tilted his head, still looking in the other direction. "The Kaida Team?"

"No!"

Matsuda flinched at her tone of voice. "I-I'm sorry."

"No. You need to learn how to say it correctly. It's called 'The _Kaida _Team.'"

"That's what I s-said! The Kaida Team!"

Masako punched his skull again. "Wrong! Near!"

The albino swept his gaze over to her half-angry eyes.

"Let him hear how it's done!"

Near sighed and reluctantly obeyed. "The _Kaida_ Team."

"Masako, I don't understand what you're trying to-"

"Never mind, Matusda! You'll learn on the job!"

"On the job?" he asked curiously.

"Now, all we need is a team name…" Masako put a finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "Aha!" her closed fist knocked her open hand as an idea struck. "Team Albidoofazing!"

Matsuda blinked. "What?"

"That's just a short term for" she pointed at Near "albino," and then she pointed at Matsuda "doofus" then to her "amazing," she finished with a broad grin.

"Hey! Why am _I _the doofus?"

"Cause _you're _the one on the floor with coffee grinds in your hair!"

"Aw, man…"

"Don't 'aw, man' me," she smirked as she began to think of a Kaida line. "My awesomeness has granted you the ability to speak, young grasshopper," she put her hands together and bowed her head, while Matsuda, his back still turned, had a confused look on his face.

"My…ability to speak?"

"I believe she is referring to your previous inability to speak properly due to-"

"That strong coffee stuff you drank!" Masako interrupted the albino and nodded with an 'it's true' look on her features.

Matsuda rubbed the back of his head some more, the bump starting to get larger. "It's a good thing that wore off…"

"Actually, Matsuda…I think that coffee'll come in handy…" she smirked evilly as Matsuda raised an eyebrow. "But first thing's first…getting some clothes…"

Matsuda's face went red and he flinched, ducking his head.

"Don't be such a baby, Matsuda. I'm sure you're used to it with all the porn you look at."

"I don't watch porn!"

"Whatever you say, Matsuda…" Masako smirked playfully, but it fell when ideas for the current issue flashed through her mind. "As I was saying…clothes…the only person who's actually on their floor at this time is…oh dear Lord."

* * *

Masako took a deep breath and raised a shaky fist, daring herself to knock. After she finally kept her breathing under control, she trust her fist forward and let it slam into the door, causing a single, loud bang to resound throughout the living room. She jumped when the door opened to reveal none other than…Misa Amane (cue the scary music).

"Masako!" she greeted with a smile. It was nice and all…until her smile fell when she saw what Masako was wearing.

The brunette brought her hands together and bowed slightly. "Treasure these words because they are the _first _and _last _time you will ever hear them…I need to borrow some clothes!"

Any questions Misa wanted to ask was blanked from her mind as soon as she said those words. The blonde squealed. "I thought you'd _never _ask that! Oh, this is so exciting! I'll do your clothes, your makeup, your hair-"

"Misa, we don't have time for that!" Masako pressed as she pushed passed her to shut the door behind them, leaving Matsuda and Near to stare at the space where they once were, now occupied by a closed door. Whatever happened to 'we're a team'?

* * *

Aizawa sighed as he shut the door to his car. He had a cup of fresh coffee in his hand and he seemed to be in a pretty good mood. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, breathing in and enjoying the strange, yet calming garage air. The police officer had just gotten a call from L who was requesting his presence about something important, but he was told that he didn't have to worry much and that if he was busy, he didn't have to come down right this minute. He was also told that it had nothing to do to with the case, so why rush? As far as Aizawa was concerned, he would use this to his advantage.

His wife strangely didn't give him any problems about going back to work for a quick half an hour. After all, he said he'd be right back. What could possibly happen?

Aizawa whistled a familiar tune while walking toward the elevator - that is, until he stopped in his tracks upon hearing a crow caw loudly and flutter its wings.

He turned on the spot, his whistled notes echoing for a final time off of the concrete walls. The direction in which he was observing was vacant of any living creature whatsoever, which left him momentarily confused. After a good four seconds, he shrugged and resumed his walking.

A clink of plastic could be heard behind him. This time, though, Aizawa was ready. He swung around on his heel and threw out his index finger to point at the suspect while the rest of his fingers gripped his coffee. "Aha!"

The person making such a racket was a blonde-haired girl with her hands behind her back.

"Kaida?" Aizawa dropped his arm back to its original position as he eyed Kaida suspiciously. "Why are you out here?"

"I wanted to play hide and seek," Kaida said with a more or less creepy smile. "Do you wanna play with me?"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow and his eyes widened slightly. He'd learned his lesson from horror movies, and he was sure that running around and playing hide and seek with a creepy fifteen-year-old was just asking for trouble. He was better off taking a huge fluorescent sign and writing 'feel free to eat me' in huge letters, setting it on his front porch for all of the graveyard lurkers to see.

"Q-Quit messing around, Kaida. I have to go to work," as Aizawa turned around yet again, something shot through the air and collided with his coffee cup, sending it to the ground. The top opened and its contents splashed everywhere. The sound echoed dramatically throughout the large garage. Aizawa's turn was only halfway completed, and on instinct, his eyes flickered to Kaida. A nerf gun was pulled out and pointed at him, a smirk was on Kaida's face. How she had managed maneuver the gun to where it was in front of her as quickly as she did, he will never know.

"Aw, no one's working right now, Aizawa. Come play with me!"

"Can I pass?"

"No."

Aizawa let out a grunt in frustration. "Look, kid. I don't have the time for this," he finished his turn.

Kaida's smirk grew wider. "Shame," she pulled the trigger on her nerf gun, launching an orange nerf into the air.


	35. Answers? The Nerf Wars Conclusion!

**This. Took. Forever. Just for you guys, I tried to make this chapter as chaotic as the characters would allow. I tried to make it into something believable, so let's hope I did a good job in that. **

**Anyway, it **_**has **_**been a while since I updated. Excuse: I **_**did **_**have this chapter planned out, but I had to rewrite it tons of times in order for it to sound right. -.- So because of my long absence, I gots some stuffs to say. **

**1: Happy Birthday! – To all of the birthdays that I've missed. And I've missed a lot. **

**2: It has been a full out YEAR since I first started this story, so I'd like to say thanks to all those that reviewed, favorited, alerted, and all that good stuff. You guys are awesomesauce, and a special thank you to those who have stuck with me since the very beginning! Your reviews these past few chapters have been very inspiring! :)**

**3. Sorry if this chapter doesn't meet your expectations, especially since you've been waiting a while. This chapter is the last part of the nerf wars, so we're gonna hit some plot progression in the next chapter. **

**4. Because I'm feeling generous today, I'd like to inform you of the general idea of the next chapter: It will deal with Ringo and give you a little more information on Masako's random sickness that happened in chapter 29 (yes, that is important to the story). I may also throw in some of Shai's defects as well. ;)**

**And…nope. That's all I have for you. **

**Shai: WAIT!**

**Me: What?**

**Shai: You can't just leave it at 4!**

**Me: Why not?**

**Shai: It has to be a solid number! 3 or 5, or maybe even 10. 4 just isn't a number where you should stop!**

**Me: Um…ok…How about I use number 5 for the disclaimer?**

**Shai: *sigh of relief* Saved…**

**Me: *rolls eyes***

**5. I don't own Death Note, Sailor Moon, Monster Hunter, or anything else in this chapter that may refer to some famous thing that obviously wasn't created by me. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

"Hold still!"

"NO!"

"Come on…I have to do your hair."

"NO!"

"Just…SIT!"

Misa shoved Masako on a soft, red chair and held the scissors at a dangerous position. "Don't move, or else your hair won't be the only thing that's going to be cut," the pop star said in such a voice that made Masako want to crawl under a rock and hyperventilate.

While all of this was going on, Matsuda and Near had their own conversation going on. It all started out like this…

"So…" Matsuda scratched the back of his head, wondering what to do with the unknown amount of time he had alone with the genius.

Near was naturally quiet. He never spoke unless it was necessary or polite to do so, which made him – in Matsuda's mind – a rather boring person to talk to. So it was assumed that Matsuda had to add something at the end of that 'So…' as to not look like just another random idiot trying to make conversation. "…um…Team Albidoofazing, huh?"

The boy genius had his fingers entangled with his hair and he was staring silently at the door. Upon hearing Matsuda's question, he turned his ghostly head to look at the police officer, who in turn gulped. His eyes were penetrating, but not glaring. If looks could kill, Near could kill without even trying. His eyes reminded Matsuda of ice cubes. Cold, gray ice cubes…except ice cubes were friendlier.

"W-Where do you think we're going after this?" Matsuda surprisingly held Near's stare.

Near thought for a moment, then resumed staring back at the door, "Knowing Masako, she would formulate the first portion of a bizarre plan to put a halt to Kaida's rapidly approaching chaos and lack the common sense to inform us while she tries to carry it out."

"What about the second portion?" Matsuda inquired with a tilt of his head.

"One of the many things Masako is capable of: being intelligent enough to realize that in a situation like this, plans tend to change very quickly. Kaida plans as she goes along."

"How do you know that?"

Near certainly wasn't going to tell him about the preschool wars. Although Kaida had an elaborate plan drawn out, it was only because Mello and Matt encouraged it. Her original plan was to simply chase them with paint ball guns in hopes that they'll drop to their knees and beg for mercy.

"Can't you tell from Kaida's personality? You can also judge by the way she's handling this situation. She has very few plans set in motion – if none at all."

"THESE HEELS ARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DUCK FEET!"

"Yeah, that's why I gave them to you! How do you walk with these huge fish fins?"

"Hey, now! Watch the knee! THE KNEE!"

More shouts could be heard from behind the door and multiple crashing sounds followed.

"Wear this!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"CAUSE I'M NOT A SLUT!"

Near's gaze soon rested on the wall while Matsuda's fell upon a spot on the floor. The two stared at their initial spots for a long while, listening to the two girls argue on the other side of the door.

_5 minutes later…_

"Wait…hang on!"

"Stop pulling!"

"Wait a minute!"

"Let go!"

"Done!"

The crashing sounds faded into silence. Footsteps could be heard as Misa dragged Masako to the door. The doorknob finally turned, and Masako was pushed out into the open.

Near and Matsuda returned their gazes to the transformed girl in front of them. Matsuda's face instantly brightened up with a smile, but covered it quickly with his hand and turned his head to look at the wall beside him. Near merely blinked at Masako's outfit.

The brunette was currently wearing a Barbie-like fairy dress that fell to her knees and a large, pink ribbon wrapped around her waist and tied into a large bow in the back. The dress had a dropping neckline and short sleeves that didn't quite cover her shoulders. The bottom of the dress and the short sleeves were frilled on the ends and pink sandals enveloped her feet, showing her neatly trimmed toenails. Her hair looked better than it usually did, although it was slightly out of place (probably from all the hassle she was giving Misa). The front ends of her hair had been cut to just above the chin and a layer or two had been added to the rest of her hair. A few locks in the front was clipped back with a shiny, pink butterfly clip as the dramatically cut ends hung freely to the sides of her face.

"Well?" Misa asked with a raised eyebrow. Masako's eyes were narrowed and her mouth was twisted into an angry pout. "What do you think? Isn't she adorable?"

At this, Masako glared. "It's over the top and I don't like it," she was ignored as Matsuda spoke next.

"Misa-Misa…I never knew you had these kinds of clothes in your closet."

"Yeah, well my modeling company makes me wear the craziest things sometimes. It's not exactly my style. I wore this for a photo shoot during Halloween a few years ago, and I think it looks great on her, don't you?"

The glare increased in intensity. "I'm going to go change into something else," Masako spun on the heel of her sandal, but was kept from going any farther when Misa grabbed her shoulders and pulled her violently back.

"Why would you change out of something that makes you look so _cute_?"

"I'm not your Barbie doll, _Misa_!" the pink clad girl snapped.

At that instant, a crow cawed from outside the living room window. No one seemed to notice besides Near, whose only movement was his eyes gradually turning to the window.

"You're not my Barbie doll, Masako. I just love dressing you up in clothes that I think you look great in! This was really fun; we should do it again!"

"Yeah, I don't think so," Masako was halfway through the doorway when Misa pulled her back again.

"Wait! I know what you want, now!" Misa raced into the room and shut the door behind her.

"A new change of clothes? Yes, Misa! You're finally grasping what I've been telling you for the past ten minutes!" Masako's eyes shone brightly and a smile was plastered on her face.

The crow cawed again, the same monotone cry that penetrated the air before.

After another thirty seconds, the blonde opened the door and had one hand behind her back.

"…?"

Misa threw her arm forward to point the hidden object at Masako, at which she nearly face-planted.

"I DON'T WANT YOU'RE STUPID STAR WAND! I WANT SOME NEW CLOTHES!" she screamed with her arms flailing.

At Masako's outburst, the crow seemed to panic and beat its wings furiously while cawing multiple times in a row, sounding much louder than it did before.

Before anyone could take notice of the bird (besides Near, who already had the crow in sight), a loud crash from behind them caused everyone to turn around. Kaida had kicked the door open from another bedroom located across the living room and cocked a medium-sized, orange nerf gun.

"All right, listen up!" Kaida yelled with authority.

Masako's eye twitched. "How did she get into that room without using the elevator?" she whispered to no one in particular.

"The next few hours, you will be working for _me_. When I say bleed, you ask how much! When I say get me some Jack, I'd better see 20 shots in front of me! When I say bow before me, you'd better be on your hands and knees either begging for mercy or basking in the glow of my awesomeness! Anyone who – Masako, why are you wearing a…never mind. I don't care," Kaida narrowed her eyes and took an orange nerf out of her pocket, twirling it between the fingers of her left hand while her right hand was enclosed around the gun pointing at the four. "Anywho…anyone who objects will receive the Torture Penalty. Now...any objections?"

She had that look in her eye; a look that said everything so plainly and so bluntly, not even Misa dared to move: 'defy me, and I'll shoot you.'

No one dared to speak. There was absolute silence. The only person that actually held Kaida's stare was Near, who displayed no signs of fear. Kaida noticed this and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey you. Emo albino," Near didn't move nor change his blank facial expression as she went on. "You don't look scared. In fact, I think I see a challenge in your eyes. Do you dare defy me?"

The 15 year old boy merely continued to stare. No indication was given that he had heard her besides eye contact, and the remaining three people in the room seemed to shift nervously at the sudden increase of tension in the air.

"What, don't have the guts to speak?"

The silence continued. Then…

"Good. I'm glad we've come to an understanding. Now, where to start…?"

Idiot Misa felt the need to speak at this moment. "Where to start with what?"

Kaida smirked. "Hm…You'll do nicely, Amane."

"What? Do nicely with what?" the blonde exclaimed with annoyance and slight fear.

"Oh, you know…"

"We'll _never _follow you!" Masako spoke bravely as she took a step forward, pounding a fist to her heart. "We have our own team already!"

"Your own team? Hah! Whatcha gonna do? Use the _power of love_?" Kaida burst out laughing at her joke referring to Masako's costume, but mostly because of the look on Masako's face.

"Misa forced me into it, it's not my fault!"

Kaida clutched her stomach as she laughed harder. Masako's eye twitched numerous times before she finally settled with sighing. "Whatever…"

"Um, guys…" Matsuda started. No one was listening to him, as usual. The police officer's attention was directed behind them, his head slightly turned. He blinked, then silenced himself and quickly looked at Kaida, hoping she didn't see his eyes elsewhere.

Kaida began to calm down from her laughing fit and looked Masako in the eye. "Masako, you look ridiculous. If you're gonna work for me, go change into something that _won't_ make me laugh till my stomach hurts. I got a job to do, ya know? And I can't have distractions…Wow, I wish I had a camera."

"Yeah, yeah…" Masako stuck her tongue out at Kaida and narrowed her eyes with indignation.

Kaida cleared her throat and straightened up. "Down to business…Amane!"

Misa straightened up instantly out of fear, her grip around the pink wand tightening.

"Get rid of the wand…"

She blinked rapidly and shoved the wand into Masako's hand, eying the nerf gun in Kaida's.

Noticing Misa's stare, she raised her gun and pointed it at her head. "Watch your step, girly. It might be your last."

She gulped.

"Now…do as I command!"

A strange forceful, puff-like sound rang through the air. Everyone flinched, and Kaida's eyes widened with surprise. After a few seconds of silence and suspense, she slowly raised a hand to the back of her head and grabbed something, pulling it off and bringing the item in front of her. In her hand was a green nerf bullet.

Her eyes dropped slowly, as if she was getting sleepy, and she slowly fell to her knees. "Who…" Kaida turned her head carefully to catch even the slightest glimpse at her attacker. Her head never completed the turn as her entire being met the floor, the nerf gun falling out of her hand. Her eyes dropped to a close, and she was sound asleep.

Everyone in the room stood shocked at the figure before them, who also had a nerf gun. He spun the barrel and stopped it with a gloved hand, staring at the group with ice blue eyes. "Let's go."

* * *

Shai positioned herself carefully before dropping Matt on the couch carelessly. She sat on the couch next to the unconscious figure, reaching up to lift her glasses and pinch the bridge of her nose.

L and Light sat across from the two in the conference room. A table with multiple sweets and fruit rested between them.

Shai, with a serious face, stared the two geniuses down. "All right…which one of you has the key to this thing?" she raised her hand in the air to emphasize the handcuff on her wrist.

L tilted his head like an owl. "Where might have you gotten that?"

"Matt. He threw it on my wrist before he passed out. I _demand_ a key."

L let out a 'hm' noise as he reached into his pocket from his squatted position on the couch and took out a shiny, small key, throwing it in her direction.

She caught it with ease and inserted the metal into the keyhole, struggling. "It won't open…" her eyes narrowed as she took the key out of the keyhole and glared at L. "A key that actually works, _genius_."

The detective's face remained blank. "You never specified which key you wanted."

"…Just give me the key…_please_," Shai forced out, hoping her politeness would give her a break.

L sighed and reached into his pocket, taking out a similar looking key with, if observed closely, more ridges that the previous key. He tossed it with a fling of his hand and Shai was caught off guard, but managed to catch it with her cuffed hand.

"Why did Matt have handcuffs?" Light questioned, throwing a curious glance at the hacker.

"I asked him to retrieve them shortly before this whole incident with Miss Amaya started."

Shai spoke up with frustration as she tried to get the cuffs open. "Why would you need another set of handcuffs if you guys are already attached?"

Light looked at the messy haired man expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"These handcuffs are starting to break…"

"What?" Light exclaimed as he exclaimed the cuffs. "Ryuzaki, I don't see anything wrong with them."

"You don't see it, Light? That tiny crack that can be mistaken for dirt…right there," L held the chain up so Light could see it and pointed at a general area, which was practically a fourth of the chain.

Light squinted and scanned the chain from various angles. "I still don't see anything."

"Maybe you're just not looking hard enough."

Light dropped the chain and leaned back in the sofa, crossing his arms. A knowledgeable glint appeared in his irises. "You don't have to lie to me, you know…You can just tell me that you don't want me finding a way to open the handcuffs when you're not looking…"

"That's not possible, Light."

"Hm?"

L turned on him with his usual wide-eyed stare, allowing a hint of creepiness to crawl through his eyes, adding to the full effect of the declaration. "I'm _always_ looking," Light shifted uncomfortably.

"I got them off," Shai announced as she set the cuffs and keys on the table, pushing them in L's direction. It appeared as if she wasn't listening to a word they were saying, which was more for the better than anything else.

Matt groaned and shifted as he began to regain consciousness. "Hn…?"

Shai grabbed an empty plate from the table in front of her with both hands, raising it above her and smashing the plate over the gamer's head. He let out a short but loud yelp as the plate broke in several pieces before falling back unconscious. Shai calmly placed the two pieces of plate that were left in her hands on the table and leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs and arms while acknowledging L and Light across from her. The two were looking at her with head on shock – yes – even the Great L.

"Hey, we don't need that idiot waking up anytime soon," was Shai's only response.

From behind them, the elevator doors opened to reveal two (most likely) forgotten police officers.

"Soichiro? Mogi?" Shai blinked in surprise.

"How nice of you to join us. Would you like some tea?" L asked from his squatting position on the couch.

"Ryuzaki, I want to know what's going on," the chief said, straight to the point.

"Kaida's going on a rebellion streak," Shai answered.

L blinked owl-like and grabbed a plate of cake from the table.

"Ryuzaki," Soichiro said impatiently.

"Hm?"

"I want to know what's going on."

"Kaida seems to be going on a rebellion streak."

Shai blinked at the detective unbelievably. "Your powers of explanation are astounding."

"Why thank you, Miss Tamaki."

Shai narrowed her eyes in response.

Light quickly filled them in with what had happened so far.

Shai was only paying attention to half of what they were saying since she's told the story herself. Her eyes locked on the envelope L was carrying and was currently resting on the coffee table in front of her. She didn't take notice to it at first, as she was trying to think of what Kaida may be planning. She was forgetting more and more things lately, but she reminded herself to ask L later what was in the envelope. If it had anything to do with the case, he had better not hide it from her.

By the time the explanation was finished, Mogi and Soichiro had incredulous looks on their faces.

"Are you really going to stand for this?" Soichiro's question was directed at L, who in turn gave a half shrug.

"I don't have a problem with it."

"What?" This was enough to snap Shai out of her daze.

"You three have been under a lot of pressure upon entering the Task Force. Maybe you can use this as an opportunity to have some fun."

"Woah, now. L, allowing children to have 'fun' in his own Task Force building? That's farfetched and I don't believe it," Shai furrowed her eyebrows and glared.

Outside the window of the conference room, a crow cawed once and shifted from its position on the ledge.

"What's so unbelievable about it? If you are too stressed, you can't work properly, and this case requires you to be at your best."

"The Ryuzaki I know wouldn't do that."

"I am not Ryuzaki, I am L."

"Fine then. The _L _I know wouldn't do that."

"I am not L."

"But you just said-"

"You can't believe everything you hear."

"Stop trying to piss me off."

"If you didn't believe everything you hear, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Jeez, you're just as bad as Masako."

"I wouldn't go that far…"

Light sighed. "Guys, why don't we just call it a draw?"

"I don't think so," L stated quickly.

"No, we can't fight anymore," Shai objected with disappointment.

"Why not?"

"Light interrupted and threw me off my game."

"He didn't throw off mine."

There was silence. Shai grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked it at L, who couldn't block it because he was holding a plate of cake. The pillow hit him square in the face before falling to the floor. At this, L sighed and put his cake down on the table. He grabbed the same pillow and, with amazing speed, threw it right back at her. Shai had reflexes, but she wasn't fast enough and the force of the pillow sent her flying back against the couch.

"An eye for an eye," he declared with triumph.

The crow cawed again.

"No way! You hit me way harder than I hit you, and I have glasses on!"

"True, but I was having such a nice experience eating my cake, which you ruined."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"It does to me."

Shai jerked up and threw the pillow as hard as she could, but L was ready this time. He grabbed the chain to his handcuffs and yanked Light in front of him, who took the blow of the pillow instead. An "oof" sound could be heard as the pillow hit the side of Light's face.

"Gah! Sorry, Light…" Shai sweat dropped at Light's look of annoyance.

"Can we please act like adults here?" Soichiro questioned with annoyance. Mogi stood quietly in a corner, surveying the scene with shame.

The crow cawed once more before flying away from the railing. No one seemed to notice.

Big mistake.

The elevator doors opened as Kaida stomped in, throwing up her nerf gun. "Say your prayers, suckers!"

Shai's eyes widened as she leapt off the couch, grabbing a comfy pillow from the couch for protection. L merely blinked in an owl-like fashion, not making any attempt to move.

"Come on, scatter!" Kaida fired the nerf gun in many different directions, managing to hit Mogi and Soichiro, yet again. As a green nerf fired L's way, he leapt with cheetah-like speed, doing a back flip over the back of the couch. The sleeping contraption managed to miss Light's nose by a hair. Shai raced to the safety of the elevator as Kaida floated around the room and fired shots like a maniac. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The laugh sent a chill down Shai's spine as she pushed the elevator button frantically. L tripped Kaida, who landed on the couch, and managed to get in the elevator with Light just before it closed.

Kaida narrowed her eyes at the closed doors and smirked when she saw Matt's unconscious figure on the couch. "Things just got way more interesting…"

* * *

"Matsuda…it's time," Masako said gravely as she pointed to the coffee container.

"You can't be serious…_Matsuda _is your secret weapon?" Mello asked in disbelief.

"Don't be stupid. Matsuda _and _the strong coffee combined is my secret weapon."

"We're gonna die at this rate."

"Don't start with me, Mello."

Matsuda sighed as he made his coffee of destruction. "I can't believe Near bailed on us…" Masako had brought this up first, but Matsuda wasn't going to tell her that the albino had slid into Misa's bedroom when no one was looking. Near just might be their savior if things didn't go the way they planned.

Mello snarled. "Little sheep probably got scared and hid in a closet or something."

"Hey, now. Let's not bash anyone," Masako warned as she searched around the kitchen.

"What're you looking for, Masako?" Misa asked in an innocent tone.

"Five, six. Gotta eat some Trix," Masako sang quietly to herself as she searched the cabinets.

"Huh?" Misa blinked and furrowed her eyebrows.

Masako stopped what she was doing and turned to the model. "You've never heard of Trix cereal?"

"No, can't say I have."

A moment of silence passed. Then, "Stupid…" she murmured under her breath. Who _hasn't _heard of Trix cereal?

"This better not be a waste of time," Mello rolled the barrel of his nerf gun, which caught Masako's attention.

"Hey, Mello…you said you found that gun in Kaida's room…"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Why were you in Kaida's room to begin with?"

"Always go to the source of the trouble."

Masako let out an "ah" before she resumed her searching.

He had already told them that he didn't find anymore nerf guns up on Kaida's floor, so Kaida's riddle was the closest thing they had to, hopefully, make it out of this mess alive.

"Finding Trix can either harm us or help us…but that's a chance I'm willing to take," Masako was talking to herself more than anyone.

Ten minutes had passed and nothing had been accomplished. L had no Trix cereal in his kitchen cabinets and Matsuda's coffee was getting cold. Masako knew that he couldn't drink it just yet. It wasn't time…

"What about the rest of the riddle?" Masako brought up. "Seven, eight. Games are good for bait…No doubt that's aimed towards Matt or Shai, right?"

"And since neither of them are with us at the moment, we can't do anything to help them," Mello countered.

"Then what about nine, ten. Better fear the pen?"

Mello shrugged. "Maybe she'll use pens against us."

Masako shivered at the thought. Episode 37? No way.

A crow could be heard cawing in the distance.

At the sound, Masako's head snapped up.

"Hm? Masako what's up?" Misa asked from her seat on top of the counter.

"The crow…Anyone ever notice that last time, a crow cawed at least three times before Kaida came?"

There was a silence.

"That's strange…I don't remember a crow cawing when we were up on Misa's floor," Matsuda received a glare from Masako.

"Well, you weren't paying attention! For a police officer, I expected better from you."

He ducked his head in embarrassment. "R-Right, sorry…"

The crow cawed again.

"Get ready!" The kitchen was rather empty for, well, a _kitchen_. There wasn't a lot of silverware or cooking utensils, so no one could arm himself with anything.

"Wait, Masako. Don't forget your wand!" Misa grabbed the pink star stick from where Masako had thrown it on the table and forced it into her hand.

"Idiot! I don't want the damn wand!"

"Oi, losers! Pay attention to the door, it's her only way in!" Mello barked at the two, halting their squabbling.

After another thirty seconds, the crow cawed louder, then silence. It dragged on for about a minute.

"Masako, are you sure-"

She already knew what Matsuda was going to ask. "Of course I'm sure! Kaida should be bursting through that door any second."

"Are you sure you weren't just hearing things?" Mello asked from his position.

"I'm sure! I'm not that stupid!" Masako threw in his direction.

"I beg to differ."

"What're you trying to say?" Masako glared at the chocoholic and he shrugged.

"What do you _think _I'm trying to say?"

"Don't play stupid!"

"I don't have to – you do that well enough by yourself!"

"Hey!"

Everything went downhill from there. Mello and Masako broke out into their insult wars while Matsuda stood off to the side and watched the scene with nervous eyes. Misa tried to break it up at first, but then later joined the fighting once she was insulted as well. The police officer sweat dropped at the fight and gripped his coffee cup tighter, debating on what was the best course of action.

Option 1: He could join in the fighting, too, but that may result in a bruised ego and even body.

Option 2: Drink the coffee and go nuts. It was getting cold, anyway.

Option 3: Inform the others that Kaida had snuck into the kitchen amidst their arguing and was no aiming the gun in their direction.

…Wait.

A puff-like sound rung through the air as Team Albidoofazing's only sharpshooter was hit in the back of the head with green nerf. Mello's insult stopped in mid-sentence and his eyes drooped to a close, followed by his body crashing to the floor. The gun he was holding fell out of his hand and clattered against the cold, hard surface.

Masako blinked in surprise at the instant motion, but managed to bounce back from the shock and shot the unconscious Mello a glare. "Well, good riddance!"

"Uh, Masako…" Matsuda figured he might as well say something since she wasn't paying attention to the impending death she was probably about to receive.

"Neh…" Masako's eyes traveled to Kaida's. After a brief moment of questioning identities through their minds, the room erupted into chaos. Misa had tripped over Mello on the floor while Masako shouted for Matsuda to down the coffee. The fifteen year old grabbed the only apple from the basket on the counter and chucked it at Kaida, who dodged it abruptly and turned the gun on her.

"Masako…"

"Kinda busy, Matsuda!"

"I don't feel so good…"

She wasn't sure what to think of that statement, so she shrugged it off and spotted Mello's discarded nerf gun on the floor across the room. She had been leaping around like a cheetah, dodging Kaida's nerf attacks. Now, she may be wrong, but it seemed like Kaida was only shooting at her since everyone else (besides Mello) was still standing.

Masako summoned up all of the strength in her legs and lunged for the nerf gun, but to her dismay, Kaida had gotten to it first and kicked it away. Masako was now on the floor in front of the blonde, her right eye twitching profusely.

"Aw…I wanted to have a little more fun with you, but I guess that didn't happen."

Masako glared up at Kaida.

"Hey, now. What's that look for? I've said it before and I'll say it again. I. Always. WIN!" She threw up her nerf gun to point at Masako, but not before the latter threw up her pink wand she had somehow (and for some unknown reason _why_) managed to hang on to. Desperate, Masako shouted the first thing that came to mind.

"MOON PRISM POWER!"

"…"

"…"

"Seriously?"

"You'd think at a time like this, that would actually do something…"

"Uhu…"

Out of nowhere, Misa appeared behind Kaida, holding a nerf gun to her head. "Freeze!"

Masako blinked. "Misa, put the gun down before you hurt yourself."

"Hey, I didn't see _you _grabbing the nerf gun. So I thought it would be the smart thing to do before Kaida-chan got to it!"

"Misa, just give the gun to Matsuda…"

Misa sighed "Okay…"

The model wandered over to Matsuda, whose head was down and had his eyes shielded by his hair. He was in a slouchy position and he didn't look too good from where Masako was sitting. Misa held out the gun with a pout. "Here," she huffed. Matsuda had yet to move, and Misa was growing agitated with each passing second. "Well, are you going to take it or not?"

Matsuda finally raised his head. His eyes looked rather tired and a little bloodshot, which was kind of weird because they weren't like that before. He grabbed the gun robotically and his eyes suddenly widened.

"Heh…heheheh…"

Misa took a few steps back, a little freaked out by Matsuda's reaction. He raised the gun and pointed it at Kaida.

"Y-Y-You…"

"Yes?" Kaida asked in a bored fashion. When he didn't reply, Kaida rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You wouldn't shoot me. Would you?" She asked the last statement in a deep, demon-like voice. Usually, this voice would send Matsuda behind the nearest couch, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect on him this time.

"G-G-G-Go away!" he fired the gun several times and his arm had trouble keeping steady. Masako threw herself under the table for shelter. Maybe having him drink coffee wasn't such a good idea after all.

Matsuda jittered around the kitchen, firing at everyone he saw. It was amazing how he didn't run out of bullets yet…

As she crawled under the table to get a better look at who Matsuda actually managed to hit on his rampage, her hand met something squishy on the floor. "Uh…?" She looked down and saw that it was a green nerf. Fear gripped her when she realized she was getting sleepy. "Damn it…After everything I've done to avoid these things…and I go out like this…" Masako's arms felt weak as the rest of her body sank to the floor. "Fail…" Her eyes drew to a close, and all was black.

* * *

This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be caught in Kaida's little game. Of course, it wasn't her game to begin with, so it was only natural that she lost. _How _she got caught? She couldn't remember.

Shai's eyes flew open when she heard an insane laughter nearby. She squinted at the newfound light. Once her eyes adjusted, she could see that she had handcuffs on. To her relief, she was only handcuffed to herself and not somebody else. That was a terrible experience she was not willing to go through again.

The laugh wasn't followed by an appearance or more insane laughter, so Shai took this as an opportunity to get familiar with her surroundings.

Taking in the rest of the room, she could see that she was in the computer room. Her ankles were bound by handcuffs as well, but she ignored this pestering thought. Masako was leaning against the wall unconscious, wearing the most ridiculous outfit she had ever seen, Mello was handcuffed to one of the computer desks, Light and L were still handcuffed together, but their free hands were handcuffed to the other computer desks, Matsuda and Misa weren't handcuffed at all, but were unconscious, and Mogi and Soichiro were bound back-to-back by their own handcuffs. Shai's head was starting to spin from seeing so many handcuffs. Well, they were working with policemen, after all.

To her left, Masako began to shift.

"Hey…hey Masako."

She let out a groan and opened her eyes. "Wha…?"

"Get up, you lazy oaf. We were captured."

"Hn…" Masako squeezed her eyes shut before opening them, sniffing the air for some odd reason. "We're in the computer room…it smells like cake...I want cake…"

"Will you please put your sugary needs aside? We gotta find a way to get out of here."

"I'm not liking how she handcuffed me…" Masako muttered. Her ankles were bound by one pair of handcuffs and the chain hanging from her wrists wound around her ankle chain once.

"Yeah…she handcuffed me like that, too," Shai threw in with annoyance.

"Where's Kaida? You'd think she would at least hang around to see who wakes up…"

"Nah, she likes to make an entrance. It won't be long, now."

"Ah, true that. But I don't feel like sitting around and letting her come to me…I might as well be waiting for the grim reaper."

"Did somebody say…grim reaper?" was the voice that met their ears next. Dramatic theme music could be heard from some unknown source as Kaida's voice filled the room once more. "One, two. Kaida's coming for you~ Three, four. Gonna sing some more~"

"I don't like this," Masako squirmed, the chains rattling noisily.

"Five, six. Gotta eat some Trix~ Seven, eight. Games are good for bait~ Nine, ten better fear the pen~!" the song was followed by more insane laughter that caused shivers to ripple down the spines of those that were conscious.

"Shai?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we're gonna die."

"I don't doubt that."

"Don't agree with me! You're supposed to say something like… 'It's ok, we'll be just fine,' and come up with a super smart plan, put it in action, defeat the bad guys and save the day!"

"Uh, no."

"Why not?"

"Because that is a very _cheesy _and _predictable _storyline."

"So you wanna die instead?"

"Might as well go out in a blaze of glory…"

"Shai!"

"Hey, they'll make awesome stories to tell in the afterlife."

Masako started to panic. "I don't want to die! Not by the hands of Kaida! Not by the hands of anybody! If I'm gonna die, it's gonna be caused by _me_, not some lunatic who thinks chocolate-covered candies are the answers to the universe!"

"Come on, Masako. Everyone knows that's true."

"No! It's 42!"

"So you think."

"So I know!"

"So you think you know."

"Ok, we need to come up with a new argument 'cause this is the argument Kaida and I have on a daily basis."

"All right, then. What if I cut to the chase and say that I'm right?"

Masako's eye twitched as she leaned forward, giving Shai such an insane look that it wasn't that hard to picture her foaming at the mouth. "I have an idea…Why don't we cut our hands off? Yeah…then we'll be free of these handcuffs!"

Shai's eyes narrowed in a 'really, Masako?' expression. "You're losing it."

"It's not that hard, really. Just need to find a sharp object, that's all…" her voice was calm, but creepy. Emotion was drained from her voice box, it seemed.

Shai tilted her head to the side. "You're kind of creeping me out…What the hell is going through your head right now?"

Masako's behavior seemed to return to normal, but her eyes were hazy as she gave a smart ass reply. "A lot more than what's going through yours, I'll bet."

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You went in – never mind…" Shai said with a sigh.

"Will you two shut your damn mouths? I have a headache…" Mello's head lifted at an odd angle to glare at the two girls across the room.

"Oh, so sleeping beauty's finally awake!" Masako sneered as Mello turned to glare daggers at her.

"Watch it, _princess_."

"You wanna go?"

"Bring it, bitch!"

"No…" Shai intervened. "I don't think anyone can 'bring it' at this point. We're bound by chains, remember?"

"Stay out of this, Shai. Mello and I are gonna settle this. Right here, right now!"

"Gotta get me first!"

"You guys are so loud…" Shai complained as she leaned against the leg of the desk uncomfortably. "Anyway, Kaida laughed like a maniac and sang her made-up song from out of nowhere. Anyone got any ideas as to where she might be?" she sweat dropped when she realized that the two completely ignored her, as they were bickering.

"At least I have a brain!"

"Too bad you don't use it!"

"At least _I _don't dress in drag!"

"I don't dress in drag!"

"Says the guy that has feminine hair and wears tight clothing!"

"There's nothing wrong with the way I dress!"

"Oh really? If I saw you for the first time with your back turned, my first guess would be that you were a girl!" which was the truth, in fact. While watching the series, she had thought Mello was a girl until his mouth opened and a voice came out that…well…wasn't a girl's. Needless to say she hung her head in shame for a few days afterward.

"Just goes to show you that you shouldn't judge people!"

"Judging~!"

"Can you _please_ shut up?" Kaida asked with a sharp annoyance. She burst through the kitchen door and glared. "Are you happy, now? You ruined my entrance! I was supposed to come in all epic and then you had to go and be annoying as hell! I'm so irritated right now!"

Masako opened her mouth to speak, but Kaida cut her off. "No, don't talk to me. I'm mad at you."

"Kaida, if I may ask, what exactly are you planning?" Shai questioned casually as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Why would I tell you that?"

Shai pulled a cute face and smiled brightly. "'Cause you _loooooove _me~!"

Kaida's mouth twitched slightly. Shortly after, she cracked a smile and put her hands together. "Aw~! So cute! Of course I'll tell you what I'm planning!"

"What about me, Kaida?" Masako asked in a small, fearful voice.

Kaida's eyes hardened on Masako and the brunette shrank under her gaze. "Not. Talking. To you."

Mello huffed. "I'm hungry…Got any chocolate?"

"Zip it, blondie!" Kaida pulled a small nerf gun from the huge pockets of her black sweatshirt and fired an orange nerf, which missed Mello by only a few centimeters.

Mello was about to offer a rebuttal, but he didn't want to find out the hard way what the orange nerfs actually did.

Masako frowned and stared at the elevator doors to her left. If only there was a knight in shining armor to come to her rescue…She huffed. No. If anyone would be doing the saving, it would be _her_. Especially since she was wearing a fairy princess outfit. That would completely kill the heroic mood.

The elevator doors opened and Masako's eyes widened at the figure that stood inside the elevator. The person you would least expect to show up at a time like this…

"Near!" Masako exclaimed with a bright smile on her face. "My knight in white armor! He's come to rescue me!" Masako gushed, her previous thoughts clearly forgotten.

"Hey, sheep," Mello greeted rudely.

Masako scowled at him and instantly became indignant. "Mello, don't be a snob. He's probably here to save your sorry ass."

"I never asked for anyone to save me; I can do it by myself."

"Yes, what amazing progress you're making."

Shai sighed again. "Guys, you're killing the mood…"

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Near. What can I do for you?" Kaida asked menacingly with a knowing smirk. She eyed the nerf gun in his hand especially. Where he had gotten that, she didn't know. Perhaps maybe he just found it lying around. Or maybe it was one of his own? She wouldn't be surprised.

"I suppose that if Ryuzaki is going to play along with your games, then I might as well try my hand at the fight as well."

"Mr. Tough Guy, aren't you? I'd put that gun down if I were you. Wouldn't want anyone getting hurt, now would you?"

Near prepared himself and raised his nerf gun. "I think I can hit my mark from here."

"That's a pretty bold statement coming from such a little boy," Kaida's eyes narrowed. "Think you can take me on?"

Light shifted from the other side of the room. His eyes opened faintly, catching a glimpse of the scene unfolding before him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," with that, Near pulled the trigger. Time seemed to slow as a green nerf flew from his gun…

And hit Light, square in the forehead. The genius blinked at the sudden hit, and went unconscious for a second time.

Masako blinked unbelievably and Mello cracked up. Shai merely shook her head at the albino's obvious failure and started sulking due to the 'we're going to be here forever' thought.

"You missed by five feet," Masako stated in an empty voice. Her voice then gradually grew louder. "You missed…by five. Freaking. FEET! How does one accomplish something like that! What kind of knight in white armor are you, anyway?" Masako shouted from her spot on the floor, a vein clearly seen popping from her head.

"…That was unintentional…" Near admitted in a low voice.

Kaida beamed happily. "My turn!" Her gun raised and shot a green nerf, which met its mark as the boy genius was hit on the forehead. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

"My last hope…is unconscious. My life sucks," Masako stated wearily.

Mello spoke up, trying to contain his laughter. "You…heheh…you were relying on _that _to save you? Oh wow! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die laughing, all thanks to sheep!"

Shai sighed for a third time. Things were not going as planned. Not that they had anything planned to begin with. She couldn't even remember how she got here, let alone a plan.

"So, Kaida," said person lifted her head and turned her attention towards Shai.

"Yeah?"

"Since you have us here already, all locked up and everything…can you at least give us some answers?"

Kaida scrunched up her mouth as it slid to the right side of her face and her eyes looked up to her head, deep in thought. "Hm…Depends on what you want answered," she seemed to be thinking harder, but nodded firmly at her answer, deciding to leave it at that.

"Okay…about your riddles…"

"Riddles?"

"That one, two song you were singing."

"Oh, that one!"

"Yeah. What did you mean by all that? Was it a warning, some advice?"

Upon hearing this, Kaida burst into hysterics.

Shai blinked. "What's so funny?"

After settling down, Kaida removed her hands from her stomach from laughing so hard and gave Shai one of her famous smirks. "You actually took that seriously? Those weren't riddles! That was just something I made up on the spot."

Shai's face fell into an unbelievable expression. "What?"

The chocoholic nodded. "It's true, it's true. There was no meaning to them whatsoever."

Masako's jaw dropped. "Aw, come on!"

Mello furrowed his eyebrows with indignation. His laughing fit managed to fade out and any traces of humor were gone from his face. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

"Hey, you guys assumed they were important from the start. I never said that the song meant anything."

"You little…" Masako was trying to find the right words, but failed to come up with the one she was looking for. No - she found the word, but she didn't want to use it because it would increase Kaida's ego ten-fold, and it was already the size of Asia. Masako didn't want to admit it to herself just yet. She wanted to wait for this whole thing to be over before she made a judgment.

"Here's another question," Shai said abruptly, as if she just remembered something and was afraid that she'll forget it again. "What do the orange nerfs do?"

"Hm?"

"You said 'Green Tea will sing you a lullaby and oranges will be deadly.' We assumed those were linked to the nerfs since the green ones made someone pass out on contact. What do the orange ones do?"

Kaida smiled evilly. "The orange nerfs, huh?"

Shai's fists tightened. She was growing impatient, but she wasn't going to yell at Kaida to get a move on – otherwise, she wouldn't say anything and she'll never know. Shai didn't think she could deal with not knowing. That would be the first step to insanity for her, if she wasn't there already.

"The orange ones, they're actually kind of special…they-"

"Kaida!" Matt shoved the kitchen door open, his DS in hand.

"What? I'm busy."

"Yeah, well I searched high and low."

"And?"

"Couldn't find them."

"Damn it…"

"Find what?" Masako piped up.

"None of your damn business!" Kaida snapped, still irked because she ruined her specially planned entrance.

"Though, I did manage to find one, but it was on the floor," Matt held up a slightly bruised apple. Kaida remembered that apple. Masako had thrown it at her when she was firing the nerf gun at everyone. Kaida's gaze turned darker than it had been all day and she turned on Masako.

"_You_."

"Apples?" Shai whispered under her breath.

Masako flinched and looked to the floor, avoiding the glare that might actually end her life.

"Why did you need apples, anyway?" Matt asked.

"Cause I like to stay healthy. Got a problem with that?"

"No, not really."

"Then shut your trap."

"Hm…Light-kun~"

Everyone turned their heads at the new voice. It was Misa. She was back-to-back with Matsuda, sleeping peacefully. It wasn't long before she uttered Light's name in a dreamy fashion once more and twisted her body around, wrapping her arms around Matsuda. She squeezed with an immense amount of strength and Matsuda's eyes instantly popped open, the crushing sensation erasing any tiredness that may have occurred afterwards. He tried taking in air, but Misa was squeezing way too hard. "Light-kun~!"

"C-Can't…breee_aaaathe_," the police officer chocked out as his hands flapped at his sides. Since Misa was sleeping, she paid no heed to the warning and instead squeezed him tighter, if that was possible. "Slo-owly…dying…over…h-heeeere…" he turned his head slightly to the people watching. Kaida and Mello had their 'we now have our jokes set for the next three weeks' looks on their faces and everyone else was looking at Misa pathetically.

"Kinda feel bad for Matsuda…" Masako said to herself more than anyone.

"Eh…not really…" Shai disagreed.

"Should we help him at least? I think he's going to pass out from lack of oxygen…" Masako stated with worry.

Kaida waved her off and shrugged. "I got it," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a lollipop. She held it to her forehead and whispered inaudible things to it, as if she was saying goodbye, before chucking it at Misa's head.

"…I'm not eating that," Shai declared, looking sorrowfully at the lollipop on the floor (even though it was still in its wrapper).

Kaida sighed with regret. "That's why I was saying goodbye…poor thing is _infected_, now…" she sniffed at her loss as Misa's eyes fluttered open.

"Light…" Misa turned her head to look up at the back of Matsuda's head "…kun?"

Matsuda turned his head painfully. "Misa, can you let go of me now, please?"

Misa's eyes widened at the sight and her grip instantly released. Furious, she swung her hand down on the police officer's head several times. "You're not my Light-kun! How dare you touch me like that! You'll be hearing from my lawyer! I want Light! Where is he?"

"Ow…Misa, that hurts! Stop it! Ow!" another long string of protests followed from Matsuda as Misa beat on his head harder than before.

Masako pulled a pout. "Why isn't Matt locked up, too?"

Kaida smiled. "He's on _my _side, silly!"

"What?" Mello barked.

Masako hung her head and sniffed. "I feel abandoned…"

"Matt, if you think I'm letting you play Monster Hunter when we get out of this, you're terribly mistaken!" Shai threatened through gritted teeth.

"Nah, with what I just got paid, I can buy Monster Hunter ten times over."

"Who else is on your side, then?" Masako asked with irritation, dreading the answer. She had a feeling that everyone that wasn't in the room at this point was on Kaida's side. Though, Watari did seem to disappear…which left Aizawa and of course, the preschoolers. So where does Aizawa stand in all of this? Or did he just go home?

"Oh…you know," Kaida winked and turned around on the spot.

Masako's eye twitched at her response and she jangled her chains. "I wanna get out of here! This isn't fun!"

Shai just couldn't stop sighing today. "Can I go to my floor now, please? I'm bored…"

Kaida beamed at her. "Sure thing!"

"Huh?" Masako blinked as Kaida pulled out a key from her pocket and unlocked Shai's handcuffs, ankles and wrists now free. She stood and stretched, breathing in as if it was her first time taking in fresh air.

"Home free!" Shai smiled as she walked towards the elevator.

"Hey, wait a minute! What about me?" Mello yelled loudly while giving Kaida a desperate look.

"She didn't tick me off as much as you guys did. In fact, she was practically an angel! Not to mention she said please."

Masako's eye twitched and threw her back against the wall. "Not cool…"

* * *

"Ah, Aizawa. Nice to see you're alive and well," L said from his crouch, referring to his survival of Kaida's take-over. He was sitting in a rolling chair with a plate of cake in his hand, glancing up at the police officer that just entered the room.

Aizawa rubbed the back of his head with his hand before bringing it to his side, his other hand gripping his new cup of coffee. It wasn't the brand he originally had since he had to make the coffee at headquarters, so he was a natural grump at this point. "Yeah…"

"Are there going to be any consequences to all of this?" Light asked from his chair next to L. If it was up to him, he would've went home and slept like a rock rather than be handcuffed to the three greatest detectives in the world.

Kaida, Aizawa, Light, and L were the only ones in the room, and Kaida was just standing around, wandering what punishment was going to be given to her.

L shoved some cake into his mouth and replied with a full mouth. "No. I view this as an opportunity to see Kaida's abilities to their normal extent."

Kaida lifted her head at her name. "My abilities?"

"During the preschool incident, Mello and Matt were the ones that came up with the plan. It was your job to carry it out, correct?"

She nodded in confirmation.

"Preschool incident?" Aizawa asked. L ignored him since he was out of the loop.

"Thanks to this little display, I was able to see how you would deal with a situation that was in your full control."

Kaida rocked back and forth on her heels with her hands behind her back. "So…how'd I do?"

L sighed. "As reckless as you were, you managed to get the entire Task Force in the same room unconscious, including Light and I. That's quite impressive, but you didn't seem to have a set plan for it and just decided from the beginning to wing it."

"So what you're saying is…?"

"What I'm saying is that in all, your contribution to this case has its pros and cons. While you are unorganized, Shai is the exact opposite. Masako switches from side to side quite often. You three balance out, and I'm sure that if you work together, you can accomplish many difficult tasks."

Kaida brightened up. "That's right. Nothing's ever been given to me to prove myself. My little revenge plan was the test, then?"

L nodded. "Yes, it was."

"So did I pass?"

L shoved cake into his mouth once more. "Depends."

"Depends?"

"Yes. Depends."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Whatever you think it means."

Kaida's eyes narrowed at the detective, who blinked in turn.

Light sensed the tension in the air and cut in. "Hey Kaida, you told us about the riddles a few minutes ago, but you never told us what the orange nerfs did."

Kaida smirked. "So you picked up on the 'oranges are deadly,' too, huh?"

Light nodded and Kaida shifted her feet. "That's right – you were unconscious when I was about to tell everyone. The orange nerfs…they don't do anything."

Light narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his computer chair. "What do you mean they don't do anything?"

"Again, you naturally assumed that I had made the connection of the Green Tea with the green nerfs, which was one of the things that I took the time to plan out. The 'oranges will be deadly' was only meant to mess with your heads," Kaida bounced twice in place and beamed. "The best revenge there is: fearing nothing but fear itself."

L gave a small smile at her last statement and put his empty plate on the desk next to his computer. "Interesting…"

* * *

Masako bit her lip and slid away from the automatic doors, hoping she wouldn't set them off. Bounding towards the elevator and pushing the button that would lead to her floor, she leaned against the wall with disbelief. The orange nerfs didn't do anything? All of that extra dodging…

She huffed and made her way into the living room. Shai was seated on the couch with a bored expression on her face, but turned around and leapt up fully onto the couch when she saw Masako come through the elevator.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What do you mean, 'well what?' Did you hear what the orange nerfs did or not?"

When everything was said and done, Kaida decided that in the end, she wouldn't tell them what the orange nerfs actually did. One of the many irritating moments of this event.

Masako shrugged and grabbed her cup of ice from the coffee table before plopping down on an armchair. "Nope – didn't hear anything about it," she lied. Technically, this would be her revenge from when Shai was let off the hook early while Masako herself had to stay handcuffed for three more hours until Kaida finally decided to let them go.

"What?" Shai shouted, obviously distraught. She suddenly appeared in the corner farthest from Masako, drawing lines into the carpet and walls while being her emo little self. "I'll never know. I'll never know. I'll never know," she kept chanting as dramatic tears rolled down her face.

Masako inwardly sighed at her friend's reaction. If she hadn't known herself, she would be in the corner being emo _with _Shai.

So in conclusion, it had been a hectic day. Aizawa was, no doubt, going to get hell from his wife when he got home since he was only supposed to be at headquarters for half an hour (or so Masako overheard), Misa clung to Light until L pestered her into going up to her floor so he can talk with Kaida, and everyone else either went up to their own floors or had gone home to resume their boring day or get some much needed sleep.

Masako bit her bottom lip with agitation. She wasn't going to say it. She wasn't going to say _that _word. The one word that described the entire situation, Kaida's small, yet stable plans, and the outcome. She couldn't say it. She _wouldn't _say it. But of course, the word ended up slipping out of her mouth, anyway.

"Brilliant."


	36. Nakashi's Hellhouse

**Long chapter for you awesome people. I used more detail than dialogue this time, so that explains the length. There's also a lot of cursing in this one. Anyway, enjoy this drama-filled chapter! **

**Matt: Eternalsnowfox doesn't own Death Note. But she **_**does **_**own the notes to future chapters, which I will go look for now. **

**Me: YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!**

His head ached slightly when he shifted it in his hand to get a better view of the city on the other side of the window. It wasn't much of a view, to be honest. Few pedestrians walked the streets at this hour, even though it was broad daylight. It wasn't like he was in Tokyo where there were actually signs of life 24/7. The breeze hitting the trees looked slightly refreshing, and he longed to be outside hiding up in a tree rather than sitting in a stuffy classroom listening to a teacher drone on and on…

"Pssssst."

Ringo pretended he didn't hear him as he kept his eyes glued to the window.

"Ring_ooooo_," the boy a few seats behind him hissed.

The blond wasn't too fond of that boy, and wasn't about to answer him anytime soon.

"Hey, Eiichi. Get Ringo, will ya?"

_Shit._

"Hey, Ringo," when the said boy turned around, Eiichi jabbed a thumb in Touya's direction – a brown-haired boy with freckles darting his face and wearing a lopsided grin.

"You and me are hanging out after school, kay? I got a new adventure for us."

Ringo blinked in question. Usually anything Touya planned ended in complete disaster, not to mention this kid was annoying beyond belief. But as thrilling as it sounded to hang out with a lunatic like him, he didn't feel like getting in trouble today. "Sorry, Touya. Got plans."

"No way, man!"

"Touya, Ringo. Pay attention in my class!" Mr. Kagasashi scolded through gritted teeth. Obviously, this wasn't his first time setting the two juveniles in their place. "This stuff will be on the final exam, so you either pay attention or you leave this room."

"Tch," the blond rolled his eyes. Like he cared about finals.

Mr. Kagasashi resumed his lecture while Ringo's head fell in his hand once more. His headache was turning into a real problem and it was messing with his senses – all six of them. It was beginning to turn into a migraine…

He sighed, letting out some hot air in hopes that it would relieve the throbbing in his head. _It's been a few weeks since then. _He let his thoughts roam to his conversation with Mai a few weeks back.

"_She needs to be aware of it soon as possible. We don't know of the damage it's going to cause…"_

_Ringo tilted his head at Mai's certainty. "We still have time to stop it, you know."_

_Mai pushed up her squared glasses and fiddled with the black and silver pendant hanging from her neck. "I don't believe we do…it has already awakened. Can't you sense it?"_

_He blinked a few times before responding. "I don't do demons. You know I'm not on that level, yet."_

"_R-Right, right...My mistake. You can only sense human emotions and the unfortunate events of the future, don't you?"_

_Ringo narrowed his eyes as he took a lollipop out of his jeans and unwrapped it, shoving it into his mouth. "You know those aren't my only abilities…" he mumbled through the candy. But she was right, in a way. His other abilities weren't nearly as developed as his main ones, which were still pretty weak. _

_Mai's eyes turned even more serious as she let her eyes gaze out the shop window. "I'm worried…"_

_Ringo nodded in agreement. "This can get out of hand. There's nothing we can do about it, now, though. You stick to training Kaida. I'll keep an eye on Masako and make sure the demon doesn't cause any trouble."_

He came back to the present as his teacher set a graded test on his desk. Glancing at the heading, he hardly remembered taking it. Yet, it big, red numbers, was his score at the top of the page. His eyes widened.

_100%? No way! I didn't even study… _A good mark. In _physics. _Surely the world has gone mad. He continued to stare at his paper in awe, his energy returning and his migraine forgotten. _I like it. Ringo, the Ultimate Physics Champ! Genius of the Sciences! Hell, make it King of the World! Yeah, suckah! At this rate, I'll –_

"Hey, Sasaki."

Ringo lifted his head to see his teacher hovering over his desk.

"It appears I've given you the wrong test. Here you go," to Ringo's horror, Mr. Kagasashi swapped the tests and made his way to the back of the row. Looking down, Ringo's mark was no more than a pathetic 16%.

"Sweet! 100!" Touya shouted, making Ringo sink into his chair. Everyone around him could practically feel the waves of rejection emitting from his body as his head hung low.

…

Masato yawned as he walked down the hall with his arms thrown back behind his head, his hands holding his messenger bag. "Greetings, Sasaki-san."

The boy had walked out of the classroom with his eyes lowered to the ground, usually a sign that he failed another test. "Ishida…"

The nerd-kid sighed and resumed walking with Ringo at his side. "I'd suggest keeping up with your class, Sasaki-san. I don't think the school will tolerate your failures much longer…"

"Shut it, Masato!" Ringo spat weakly.

"Masato-kun! Ringo-kun!" at the sound of Kin's voice, Ringo's head snapped up and whirled around.

"Kin-chan!"

"It's nice to see you again, Kinjo-san."

Kin smiled brightly and walked up to Ringo, standing next to him and waiting for someone to take the lead down the hall. "The same to you, Masato-kun. How did your test go, Ringo-kun?"

The blond smiled brightly and scratched behind his head as he began walking. "Test? Of course I did brilliantly, as always!"

"He's lying…" Masato threw to Kin over his shoulder.

"I am not!"

"By the way, where is Dazai-san? Wasn't he at school today?"

Kin shook her head. "He wasn't here yesterday, either."

"He seemed fine when I talked to him on Monday," Ringo looked back at the two with serious eyes, waiting for a response.

"Well, you know how sickness is," Masato pushed up his glasses. "It sneaks up on you at the most random times. The sickness that's spreading around here is quite vagrant, don't you think?"

"Fragrant?"

"No, Sasaki-san. _Vagrant_. Traveling from place to place, or nomadic."

"Well why didn't you just say it's contagious?"

"Because then I wouldn't have used this opportunity to expand your vocabulary."

"I don't give a damn about words!"

The argument continued as they made their way outside, the sun's heat surprisingly strong.

"Honoka-chan!" Kin greeted from behind them.

Ringo blinked and turned his attention to 'Honoka' as she bounced in front of them. Her headphones were in, as always, but apparently her music wasn't playing since she could hear them. "Hey, guys! What's up?"

"Ah, Morishira-san. Nice day out today, isn't it?" Masato greeted while Ringo still fumed over their squabble.

Honoka's nose scrunched and glared at the sky. "Not really. It's way too hot out here for my liking…" Since souji (1) was quite demanding that day (thanks to a few undesirables who thought it would be funny to throw food when the teacher wasn't looking), the outdoors seemed hotter than it actually was.

Masato gave a small smile in amusement. "So you're not a fan of hot weather, I take it? You look like you could use some sun."

The girl's eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips. "What're you trying to say, Masato-san?"

Ringo snickered. "You're as white as a ghost, that's what he's saying! Maybe you should get out in the sun every once in a while. You know, get your vitamins!"

"No thanks," she huffed, rather indignant.

"Come on – it's nothing a simple walk won't fix. Wanna grab a bite to eat down at that pizza place, today?" Ringo asked. The four of them were standing at the end of the sidewalk, now - out of everyone's way and a few feet from the gates of the school.

Honoka shook her head. "Not today, I have too much homework to do."

"We're nearing final examinations! How do you have homework?"

"I have studying to do, too."

Ringo inwardly sighed. "That sucks."

"Just a bit..." her voice trailed off and her gaze fixed on a certain spot in the grass. After a few seconds, she blinked and brought her attention back to the others. "I'd better go, then."

"You sure you don't wanna chill?" he had to ask again, just to make sure. It was an opportunity he got every day, but Honoka never agreed to hang out except for the first group outing they had.

"Positive," with that, Honoka said her goodbyes and started off down the sidewalk.

Ringo swore in his head, though his facial expression didn't give him away. _How can I get information out of her if we don't interact outside of school? Is L really that strict? _

Masato chuckled from beside him.

"What's so funny?"

"You've been rejected…" the senior had a slight song in his voice, as if he was taunting Ringo. The latter glared at him.

"Don't you have a nerd club to go to or something?"

"The correct wording is 'Literature' club, and we don't meet today."

"Then go study for your cram schools!" Yes, Masato was such a nerd that he studied for the _classes _that would help him study for the college entrance exams.

Masato smiled. "Thank you for your suggestion, Sasaki-san. I will get right on that," he then waved Kin a goodbye and stepped out into the street, heading for the library, no doubt.

"Got any plans, Kin-chan?" Ringo asked suddenly.

The girl seemed startled. "U-Um, plans?"

"Yeah. What're you doing today?"

"O-Oh…I-I have to get home…sorry, Ringo-kun."

Ringo sighed. "No problem. Some other time, then," he flashed her a smile before walking in the opposite direction Honoka was, heading for the downtown area. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kin-chan!"

Kin blushed and offered a small wave in his direction, even though he was already walking away.

…

"_Masako isn't our only problem."_

Ringo shoveled down his pizza, attracting a few stares. He didn't care, as long as he had a full stomach by the time he got to his apartment.

"_Yeah, but I don't see how Shai is a problem. It's only her memory fading – how is that a threat to us?"_

_Mai shifted her feet from where she was sitting on the park bench, uncomfortable about discussing such matters in public in case others were to eavesdrop. "Remember when Rem hit her against the wall when they were chasing Amane?" when she received a nod, she continued "Shai lost blood from the head. So far, they think that her memory loss is due to the head injury."_

"_Isn't it?"_

Ringo paid at the counter and walked out of the pizza shop. He rounded a corner and let his feet take him wherever they felt they needed to go since he didn't have a set destination in mind.

"_We'll let them think that for now."_

He blinked up at a gift shop, but his feet didn't seem to want to walk in. He closed his eyes and felt the wind in his hair as he walked the sidewalks of the downtown area. People were starting to crowd the streets, and staying off to the side while everyone rushed passed was your best option if you didn't want to get trampled.

"_You think switching universes had something to do with it?"_

"_There's no doubt about it, Ringo."_

_Ringo frowned at this information. "How do you know?"_

_Mai hesitated. "It's hard to explain. She's not dying, but…it feels like her life force is slipping away. Rem's attack may have triggered the effects of the memory loss, but this condition was still inevitable…"_

"_So you're saying that the shinigami's attack only sped up the process?"_

_Mai nodded. "Spiritual and physical problems working hand in hand towards the disappearance of the soul…or what's left of it, that is. We need to remember that most of her soul lies within Kaida."_

Passing the cemetery, he checked to make sure Kaida wasn't visiting so he wouldn't be seen. The two blonds had never met, and it was smart to keep it that way.

"_How's he holding up?"_

Ringo kicked a stray rock resting in the middle of the sidewalk which resulted in hitting the heel of someone's shoe. Whoever was in front of him didn't seem to notice.

"_Not well. He's been having nightmares again and won't leave the basement."_

"_Are you sure it's okay to leave him here at night by himself?"_

"_I'm a little uneasy, but he refuses to come out, so…"_

Scratching his head in frustration, Ringo felt his feet work faster than before. Realizing that he was gaining speed, he worked to a slower pace, but was still tense. He wasn't sure what to make of anything anymore.

"_But he's mentally unstable! Can't you put him somewhere else?"_

"_Do _you_ want to keep him?"_

"…_No…" _

Ringo's thoughts came to an easy halt as he took in some fresh air. It felt to him as if all of these issues were slowly suffocating him, and he needed a break – no matter how small it was.

He noticed that it was starting to get dark and wondered how long he had been out and about. It was then that his nose picked up a waft of alcohol. His feet had taken him to the front of a bar on the outskirts of Aoyama.

Ringo thought for a minute before nodding and making his way to the door. A dirty and poorly managed sign was lit faintly reading something along the lines of "Nakashi's" but he couldn't be sure. The door as well as the rest of the bar was wooden and clean, despite the dingy appearance of the sign.

He opened the door and walked in casually. A black-haired bartender grinned at him and offered a wave. "Hey, Sasaki. Long time no see! What've you been up to, ya little rascal?" the bartender ruffled Ringo's hair playfully and the blond waited for him to be done with half-closed eyes and a slight frown on his face.

"Sup, Hitomi?"

"Oh, you know how it is here. Blood spillin' here, bone breakin' there, but nothing your old buddy can't handle, that's for sure!" the man Hitomi jabbed a thumb at himself and gave a star-dazzling smile.

"That's cool. Get me a beer, would ya?"

"No prob," Hitomi disappeared under the counter for a moment and Ringo surveyed the bar from where he was sitting at the counter. He had connections – that was the only reason why he was allowed in. The legal drinking age was 20, and it was obvious that Ringo wasn't 20. But although he had a young face, he could go for an older age if he wanted to. Etsuo, the other bartender who was probably out back cleaning glasses, was an uptight nut who insisted on following the rules. He wasn't that bad of a guy, but he can be annoying sometimes.

It was the usual company. The booths were full of lowlifes and buff characters. The usual newcomers whose nervousness cranked up ten notches when they entered, unsure of how much alcohol they were willing to consume. The usual sluts who leaned over the tables in a seductive manner while hoping to knock someone up before the night ends, the usual loners who order a few beers and then leave without causing any trouble.

The usual everything. It wasn't quite Ringo's scene, but it was a good place to go to clear his head.

"Yo, Ringo! This one's on me," the bartender reappeared with a goofy grin and lightly pushed a cup of fresh beer over to the blond. The latter eyed it carefully before shrugging and downing half the glass.

"Hitomi, what's the blond doin here?" Etsuo's rough and commanding voice was rather loud and could be heard on the other side of the bar. He half-stomped over to the two and glared at Ringo coldly. "Sasaki, if you're gonna keep coming here, keep the school uniform in the closet. You know it's against school policy."

"Do I _look_ like I give a damn about school policies?" Ringo's headache had returned slightly, no thanks to Etsuo, but the poison he was drinking soothed most of the pain.

"Watch who you're talking to, kid. I can throw you out on the streets right now. Hell, I'd even call the police. That outta get you expelled from school and locked up behind bars. That's where troublemakers like _you _belong."

Ringo grinned widely. "So I want to have a little fun in life, is that so bad? I'm not causing any harm."

"You're _harming_ your school's reputation by wearing that uniform to a bar!" The conversation was starting to attract attention as the volume of Etsuo's voice escalated. No one got him fired up like Ringo did. Always doing what he wanted. Never suffering any consequences. But Ringo was cool with that. He always got away with it, anyway.

"Okay fine. I'll get rid of it."

Etsuo blinked in surprise. That was all it took? "…W…What?"

Ringo set down his beer and started undoing the buttons on his shirt collar.

"Not here, you baka!" Etsuo shouted angrily while a vein was practically trying to jump out of his head.

He smirked and reversed his action while Etsuo stomped off in the other direction. No doubt he'll be giving his customers an attitude for the rest of the evening.

Hitomi rested his elbows on the counter and leaned forward, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Don't be such a smartass all the time, man. He'll _really _do anything that he says he'll do, if not ten times worse."

Ringo shrugged and finished off his beer in one gulp, wiping his mouth on the back of his shirt sleeve afterwards. "He'll get over it – give him 'til two o'clock, then he'll start to come around. He always does," the under aged drinker beamed at the bartender who in turn smirked.

"Hah, that a boy. Hey, I gotta take care of some o' these customers. You hang in there, buddy."

Ringo gave his signature goofy grin and slid off the bar stool. "You too, man."

He yawned and checked his watch. It was rather late, and he should be getting back to his apartment for some shuteye. Sadly, his school was one of the very few in Japan that still had Saturday as a half-day, and he was seriously considering on skipping. It was only three hours, what the hell was he supposed to do with that?

The exit was just in his line of sight, and he was just about to reach for the handle...

"…and she told me to go fuck myself!" gasps could be heard from the other side of the door and the handle turned. Recognizing the voice immediately, Ringo jumped slightly in surprise and leapt to the nearest table just as the door opened. A brunette along with two other girls walked in, completely enthralled in their conversation.

"She really said that?"

"Yeah! And I didn't even say anything!"

"Wow, what a bitch…"

"I know! How was I supposed to know I was flirting with her boyfriend?" The brunette was Yori Tanaka, of all people. She had changed out of her uniform and was wearing her usual style of clothing. A clean white blouse with a few buttons undone that showed off a dangerous amount of cleavage and a tight leather skirt that was short enough to show off her thighs. High black stilettos encased her feet and she walked with a certain evil grace that only she could pull off. Ringo hated to admit it, but _damn _Yori was sexy; with her looks, anyway.

The two other girls didn't look nearly as dressed up as her, but were still looking fabulous. Ami was a rather short individual with square black-rimmed glitter glasses and black hair that was cut short in a way that framed her slightly round face, as well as her bangs. Her clothes weren't as slutty and attention-commanding as Yori's, but they still looked good on her. A plain yellow shirt and a black cardigan made Ringo realize just how skinny she was, and her black jean shorts and sandals added to her fun loving nature.

Isae, another brunette, had worn a wavy dark blue skirt that reached to her knees and a white cashmere sweater was hanging loosely from her figure. A white headband pushed back the ends of her hair and kept them in place on top of her head while knee-high black boots clacked on the floors.

The three girls made their way to the counter and sat on the barstools, still in the heat of gossip.

"And that's why he dumped you?"

"Yeah! I mean, come on. Why limit myself to one guy? Everyone knows that all married couples never stay faithful, so what's the point in getting married or even making a commitment in the first place?"

"So true," Isae commented while Ami looked a little uncertain.

Just then, Hitomi appeared in front of them as quick as lightning with a sly grin on his face. "Hey, beautiful," he greeted Yori, who raised an eyebrow. "We don't get pretty faces like you around here. What can I get you?"

Ringo rolled his eyes. Such a flirt.

"Just get the three of us some good sake."

Hitomi showed his teeth when he smiled wider. "Tryin' to get tipsy tonight, are we?"

Yori narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to snap at the bartender, but he cut her off. "Just messin' around, honey. The finest sake we got, you want?"

In response to Yori's curt nod, he walked to the other side of the bar and searched through the bottles on the shelves.

Isae stuck up her nose. "His uniform just screams pervert. Are you sure you want to be here, Yori-chan?"

Ami clacked her sandals together and leaned over the counter slightly. "My alcohol tolerance isn't that high…"

"Of course, Isae-chan. I need to get my mind off of some things. And Ami, stop worrying so much. Just take small sips and don't chug it down. You'll make me look pathetic if you end up drunk."

Ami's hands curled up into fists in embarrassment and jerked up her head, as if coming to attention. "R-Right."

"Anyway, what were you saying at school earlier?" Isae inquired with wide eyes. She leaned on the counter with eagerness and interest, waiting for her classmate's reply.

"Oh, that. Before we were _interrupted _by that loser."

Ami blinked. "You mean Touya?"

"I don't know what his name is, and I don't give a damn. He's annoying as hell, though. Not to mention he's a pervert – trying to lift up my skirt in public. Who does he think his is, anyway?"

Ringo sweat dropped from the seat at his table. That maniac had probably given up on whatever his plans were for the day just to end up harassing the other students, as usual.

"I don't know, maybe he just wants attention," Ami suggested in a polite way.

Yori scoffed. "Then he should go to a strip club. I'm sure he'll have plenty of fun there, even though half the whores there won't want him. Anyway, what was I saying earlier…Ah, yes. Summer break is coming up. After finals, I won't have to put up with that pathetic Honoka snapping insults at me."

"What's her problem, anyway?" Isae piped up.

"I don't even know! If she only listened to me at the beginning and joined our group, she could've been part of the good crowd. She had potential, too."

Ami's fingers fidgeted. "Wonder why she gave up that opportunity…" her eyes looked to the ceiling in wonder.

Yori ignored her and slammed her fists on the counter, raising herself to where she was halfway out of her seat. "Hey dobe! Where's our sake?" she shouted at the other side of the bar, where Hitomi was flirting with hot black-haired chick. She looked to be Hispanic.

The bartender turned his head back to the girl and kissed her hand tenderly. "I won't be long, Miss. A flower," he pulled out a pretty orange dahlia flower from the shelf under the bar, holding it in front of her face "for the beautiful lady."

The girl then narrowed her eyes. "Dahlia is the flower of betrayal."

Hitomi's face fell and threw the flower behind him as fast as he could.

Yori rolled her eyes and sat back down, each with such dramatic precision that Ringo thought he was going to fall out of his chair.

"You were saying?" Isae prodded.

"Right. Since it's the end of the school year, I think we should do something…fun."

Ami jolted in confusion. "Fun? As in…vacation fun?"

"Yes. Vacation fun...but maybe we shouldn't wait until vacation to do it. Close to the end of the school year…Maybe our last day…"

Yori displayed an evil smile as Hitomi walked over, expertly holding three glasses of sake and placing them in front of the three. "Enjoy."

Yori reached for the glass, but Hitomi waved it away with an 'Ah. Ah. Ah!' as he held out a hand and opened and closed it. She sighed and handed him some yen. At Isae's questioning glare, she waved her hand as if to say 'pay for it yourself.'

Once the money was collected, the bartender disappeared from their view.

"Anyway?" Isae prodded once more.

"On our last day of school, I was thinking we could have a little fun with Honoka," she smirked. "Any ideas?"

"Maybe not the last day of school. Shouldn't we give her hell all summer?" Isae suggested.

"We don't know where she lives, though," Ami protested, but Yori cut in.

"Well, follow her home. We can gather up the guys and have them trash the place. Sounds like fun, no?"

Isae bounced up and down slightly in her seat. "Oh my gosh, I would _so _be in for that! Count me in!"

Yori nodded. "We should also have a surprise for that Kin girl that she hangs out with...She should suffer the consequences of seeing me embarrassed in front of the entire class, don't you think?"

At this suggestion, Ringo's eyebrows furrowed and his fists clenched, his blood beginning to boil.

Isae bobbed her head up and down with vigor. "Yes! Most definitely! Should we trash her place, too?"

Ringo had been over to Kin's house before. It was a quiet and peaceful place with a nice garden. It was also right next to a forest. The home had a calming effect, as a home should have. The thought of damaging a place like that…Ringo just managed to refrain from picking up a chair and throwing it across the room.

"No, maybe we should do something else," the three were sipping their alcohol without a care in the world, not even considering that someone could be listening in. "She's so sweet and innocent…but we all know it's just a mask."

"How to you think we should go about taking _off _that mask?" asked the other brunette. Ami looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation and fidgeted some more.

"We're going to have to force it out of her. Maybe she's a secret martial artist or something. But I highly doubt it with those arms. I say we should jump her."

Ami jerked for the umpteenth time that night. "What?"

"You heard me, Ami. Clean out your ears, for Kami's sake! I think that if we force her to fight, she'll show her true colors, that's what I'm saying. We already know Honoka has an attitude, but I don't think we should mess with her until we know what she's really capable of. We don't know her true physical strength; we've only seen her play well at volleyball in gym. Kin is such an easy target."

Ringo just about had enough of the conversation and stormed towards the door. He didn't care who saw him leave in his uniform. He just needed to get out of there before he seriously messed up that girl's face.

Ringo stomped over to the nearest dumpster and kicked it violently. It left a small indent in the metal, which would have made _anyone _fear for their safety. Imagining that the spot he kicked was Yori's face, he kicked it over and over again as the dent increased in size, forcing all of his anger into the same place.

Yori sipped her sake calmly and leaned forward on the counter, tilting the glass back and forth. Ami stood up and bowed slightly. "Please excuse me. I'm going to use the restroom."

Isae slid off the bar stool. "I'll come with you – I have to fix my hair."

Yori waved her hand at them, a habit she had gotten into when she found it unnecessary to speak. When the two disappeared, she sighed and took another sip from her glass. The liquid was almost depleted, and she was thinking about ditching the two since they seemed to be taking a while.

She heard a gruff voice coming from the washroom and a bulky but muscular man opened the door at the back and made his way to the counter. "Everything running okay, Hitomi?" he seemed unfazed by his coworker's flirting since it was a daily occurrence.

"Everything's a-ok!" he threw up a peace sign with his free hand since his other one was gripping another girl's hand softly.

The mysterious bartender nodded and surveyed the bar. Landing eyes on Yori, who was giving him a questioning look, his gaze turned suspicious. Walking up to her, he crossed his arms. "Excuse me, ma'am. But are you sure you're old enough to be here?"

Yori laughed shrilly. "Oh, I'm flattered that you'd ask such a question. But really, it's impolite to ask a woman's age."

"Yeah, well this is a bar, and you need to be at least 20 to come in here. Got an ID?"

She gave a 'shit, I'm in trouble' look before the bartender's eyes hardened even more. "Look, uh…" she looked at the nametag "Etsuo, is it? Be a dear," she leaned forward on the counter seductively and brought her arms closer together, squeezing her chest and wearing a flirty grin. "I seem to have forgotten my ID at home. Do you mind if I go get it?" her voice went softer. "Then I could come back here…and meet you in the back," she winked.

Etsuo stared at her for about a minute, wearing an incredulous look. "Girl, get out of here."

"B-But-"

"Look, lady!" he lowered his head to Yori's. "20 and up! No ID, no service! Now get out before I throw you out!"

Yori blinked in surprise and pulled an angry pout. She attempted one last time. Sliding off the stool in a snake-like manner, she left her foot rest on the bar that was supporting the stool and ran a hand up her leg, lifting her miniskirt slightly. A few of the guys on the other side of the bar tilted their heads downward and even bent their backs and necks lower to the floor to get a better view at what was underneath the leather. "You don't know what you're missing," Yori finished as she winked one last time. She swayed her hips as she made her way to the door, opening it and looking back at Etsuo's face to see if he had regret written in his features. When her prediction proved incorrect, she glared and slammed the door on her way out.

The bartender shook his head and made his way back to the washroom.

…

Ringo panted as he surveyed his work on the dumpster. Dents covered the side of the poor piece of metal and most of the blue paint wore off to a rust-colored brown. His headache was coming back, and his anger was far from being rid of. The energy he had didn't even match up with his desire to break every bone in Yori's body. Hearing a commotion going on in the distance, he turned the corner with curiosity to find a familiar girl being harassed by a few lowlifes. They didn't look like they were from a biker gang, but they had bandanas and tattoos covering their beings and hungry smirks on their faces. There were about five of them, Ringo noticed. They didn't look too friendly, either.

Getting closer to the action, the blond hid around the corner of the bar and tilted his head as if it would allow him to hear better. He made sure no one could see him since he didn't know what was going on.

"Come on, girly. You know you wanna!"

"Get lost, freaks!"

"Just a little taste. I don't bite…_hard_." Laughs were heard some shuffling could be heard. Yori let out a muffled scream. Ringo guessed that a hand or something was being held over her mouth. Peering around the corner, he saw the five guys pulling her towards a shady looking black van.

He thought for a moment. _Should I just let them have her? _Blinking in surprise at this thought, he shook his head wildly and his face radiated with determination. _Well, she may be a bitch, but I guess she'll be in my debt when I save her ass. _He searched for something that may help him out. A long and rusted, bent up tire iron was conveniently lying near the dumpster. Seeing as this was his only choice of weapon, he retrieved it and raced towards the thugs.

They looked a little confused at first. A blond in a school uniform running up to them with a tire iron wasn't exactly an everyday sight. The nearest guy had sunglasses resting on his black-colored, curly hair. This would be Ringo's first target.

Once he was within range, he jumped in the air and let his legs curl towards himself and released an intense, concentrated kick to the man's chest with both feet. As the shady man fell to the ground when the wind was knocked out of him, Ringo used the momentum of the kick to flip backwards and land on his feet. He tapped the tire iron in his other hand. "Come at me, bitches!"

The other four looked pretty angry while the one Ringo attacked was still on the ground, apparently unconscious. Three of them came at him at once. It wasn't going to be easy. He didn't deal with this many enemies before.

The man closest to him was hit in the head with the piece of metal and Ringo dropped to the ground to trip the second one. The third one was now above him, ready to kick him in the face, but Ringo was faster. He blocked the kick with another kick to his ankle, causing the man to fall on his side. He didn't seem to hit the other two hard enough, as they had gotten up off the ground. Before they could do much, Ringo leapt off the ground and did a front flip to give him momentum and swiftly kicked the top of the head of the closest person. The other offending figure managed to punch Ringo's arm on the way down, causing him to drop the tire iron, which he had yet to use.

"You wanna go, man?" the guy asked in a dangerous voice.

Ringo smirked and flipped backwards, allowing his foot to hammer into the man's chin. He let out a cry of pain and landed on the ground, unconscious.

Grabbing the tire iron, his thoughts began to race. _Four down…Where's the other one?_

"Get off of me!" he heard Yori yell from behind him. He whipped his head around at a man wearing a black hat who was trying to open the back of the van while his free hand was practically strangling his hostage.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ringo charged at him with incredible speed. The man realized someone was about to attack, so he held the girl in front of him, using her as a shield. The 15-year-old dug his heel into the pavement and spun past the two, avoiding a collision. Ringo's grip tightened on the tire iron and used this spin to land a hit to the head. The man swayed for a bit before releasing his death grip on Yori and crashing to the ground – a replay of what had happened to his partners in crime.

He sighed when he found that his work had been done. His headache had gotten even worse than it originally was before he even entered the bar, so you can imagine how ticked off he was. Panting, he turned to Yori. She was shaking with relief and a little fear as she quickly straightened her skirt and hair. Ringo rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Tanaka, you were almost kidnapped, and you're still worried about your appearance?" he shook his head. "You're pathetic."

She put on an angry expression and stomped her foot. The actual heel of the stiletto had been lost during the struggle, so she nearly tripped when it met the ground. "Pathetic? What about you? I can't believe you'd save me with a piece of junk like a _tire iron!_"

"You know, this tire iron saved your _life! _Don't be so ungrateful! Saving your life was more than you deserved after all of the things you've done to the students at our school!"

…

"Isae-chan, I think we should be getting back. We've been in here for over fifteen minutes…" Ami said uncertainly.

"Hang on! I'm trying to fix my hair!"

"It looks fine. We should really be getting back to Yori-chan."

"And…done!" all she did was take out the headband and put it back in. It looked the same as it did before.

"Can we go now?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The two girls made their way out of the bathroom and headed to the counter. They stopped in their tracks when they found that Yori had disappeared.

Ami furrowed her eyebrows. "Where…?" her gaze traveled out the window. Her eyes widened and she tugged on Isae's sleeve. Isae followed her gaze to see who looked to be Yori and a blond with…a tire iron?

"Is that Ringo Sasaki from class 2-C?"

"I think so…" Ami replied. "They look angry with each other. What do you think is going on?"

…

"At least save me with something majestic!"

"Majestic? All right, next time, just hold them back while I go get my sword of glory!"

"_That's _what I'm talking about!"

"God, you're such an idiot!"

"Hah! You won't be thinking that for much longer."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Once my plans are done and over with, you won't have any dignity left to say those words, so savor this moment."

"Plans?"

Yori flipped her hair over her shoulder and rested a hand on her hip. She closed her eyes and smirked in a way that made Ringo want to kick her into the next country. "Not telling…"

"Listen, you little whore!" Ringo dropped the tire iron and stomped over to Yori. Her eyes widened in surprise when he grabbed the collar of her blouse and pulled her close to his face to make sure she saw his glare and heard everything he was saying clearly. "You touch _any _of my friends and I _will _kill you! Do you understand me?" he said through gritted teeth. An image of Kin flashed through his mind, but that only made him angrier, so he shook his head to get rid of the thought and just focused on the issue at hand.

Yori lowered her head and her smirk returned. "You're very protective, I see. Obviously this won't be easy…"

Ringo shook her back and forth a few times. "Are you hearing me, Tanaka?" he spat. "_Stay away _from them."

"Loud and clear, Sasaki."

"Then wipe that stupid grin off your face!" he released her with a slight push and she stumbled a bit.

"I can't help it. This situation is just…"

"Just what?"

There was a silence. Then… "Ironic."

The wind blew at loose leafs of newspaper on the ground, but the silence remained. "What do you mean?"

"I'm constantly tormenting your friends in 2-B, yet you're the one to save me as I'm about to be kidnapped. I would've thought that you'd just let me get taken away as revenge."

Ringo's fists tightened again. "I'm not that kind of person, Tanaka."

She sneered and took off her shoes, holding them by the straps with one hand. "So I'm sure you won't want to help me, then."

"Help you with what?" his voice came out in a growl.

"You know what," she turned around and walked down the sidewalk.

"Hands off!" he yelled one last time as she continued her retreat. She put up a hand and waved him off, leaving his blood boiling once more. The bitch didn't even say thank you.

…

His arm was killing him. He knew he shouldn't have gone to school that day, he _used _his right arm. It wasn't broken, but there was a huge bruise from the fight that occurred the night before.

Ringo gave up with putting the books in order. Someone else could do it because at this point his arm was throbbing. Sighing, he rounded the bookcases and pretended to do something with his left arm since his right arm was damaged. He was thinking about skipping out on souji that day since it was only a three hour day, so there wasn't much to clean up. No one pays attention to the numbers on the library books, anyway.

"Oh my god! Really?"

"Yes! I just got a call from my dad!" Ringo's ears twitched at the voices on the other side of the bookcase. Looking through some of the books, he saw that the second girl that spoke was Akira, a student from his own class. The other was a student he didn't recognize.

"I can't believe it…"

"They just found her body about an hour ago!"

Ringo's head snapped up. Akira's father was a police officer, if rumors were correct. Obviously, the ideas of 'police' and 'body' together only meant one thing.

"Does anyone else know?"

"I don't think so. It'll be all around the school on Monday, though…"

The unknown girl shifted from foot to foot before replying. "Maybe it was for the better."

"Izumi! Don't speak of the dead like that!"

"Think about it, Akira. She was a bitch, anyway. Maybe the school's better off."

"I see what you're saying but it's still wrong! Someone could have _changed _Tanaka, but now she'll never get the chance!"

Ringo stopped hearing everything after that last sentence.

Yori Tanaka…was dead?

…

**Me: So much drama...Head spinning…not…healthy… *passes out***

**Near: *fans with Tarot cards* You also gave your readers a cliffhanger.**

**Ishida: And odd flashbacks that don't make sense at this point in time…**

**Mello: Bitch! Don't make me punch you!**

**Me: Time for some cliffnotes…**

**Kinjo: (1) S-Souji is the after school tradition in Japan's education system. Every student stays after on school days (sometimes they have it during school) to help clean up and get ready for the next day.**

**Ishida: Some of you may be asking "where the hell is Ringo's school bag?" He has one, but he doesn't bring it to school, emphasizing the 'never does homework' label he carries. *pushes up glasses* **

**Light: It's her last day of school, and she didn't use her brain for about four days. I didn't think she would go into overload, especially since she had this chapter planned out…**

**L: Perhaps we should go find these chapter notes? Matt told me that we will appear again in the next chapter.**

**Light: Very clever, Ryuzaki. Let's go find them.**

**Me: *points dramatically in their direction* YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!**


	37. Questions: Death and Doubt

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

* * *

Boredom is like a virus. One person's bored, the next person's bored, then everyone gets bored. Horrible, isn't it?

Sadly, there's no set remedy for it. But in this world…insanity just might be that remedy.

* * *

The blood was starting to rush to my head and I was too lazy to move. Maybe hanging from my couch upside-down wasn't the brightest idea in the world.

"Ho, hum…" I sang a random tune to myself.

_So_ _wanting some waffles right now…maybe ice cream, too…or maybe just ice. _A had a huge list of cravings in my head. I hadn't eaten much lately – I was starting to lose my appetite. I'd say it wasn't that big of a deal, but I didn't eat much to begin with. Losing interest in food wasn't exactly a healthy option to make for someone like me. But at this point, only sheer laziness was keeping me from walking into the kitchen to indulge in sweets (which were pretty much all I've been living off of).

My eyebrows furrowed as I, for the millionth time that month, tried to make sense of things.

_Rem's Death Note is in Aoyama. That much I know for sure, thanks to Kaida. How she got that information is beyond me… Rem wouldn't say whose possession the Death Note was in. I've already told L to give me two weeks tops, and even after a month, we still have to find the Third Kira. Light's memories are gone, and the location of his Death Note is unknown. There have been deaths in America (which hasn't been investigated yet due to the cases we're dealing with now), so his Death Note could reside there. But then, we also can't forget that not only does Rem have Gelus's Death Note, which is technically Misa's now, the shinigami has her own. Where could that one be? It's possible that she still has it…or maybe that one's the Death Note that's in America? No – Rem had never given someone else her Death Note in the series, right? That is, until she died… Ryuk has another Death Note…which he wouldn't let anyone use, so he still has it. If Ketsueki wasn't stupid, then he still has Shai's Death Note, since she's still the owner. I have no idea where Ketsueki is since he told us that he was an exception to that 'Shingami must stay with the human who has his Death Note' rule. It's not like we need him, anyway…_

I grunted in frustration as I twisted my body around and pushed myself off the floor to sit upright on the couch. My head was bombarded with dizziness as the blood was allowed to flow to the rest of my body. After about a minute, I exhaled.

_I mean, all Ketsueki ever does is lie. He told us from the beginning that he was a rookie at handling the transportations, only the truth is, he's the only one that ever _does _handle them. And while he was right about not being able to go back in time, he can _still _travel through time gates to get him in a different universe at an older time period (if it was thought up by enough people, of course). And while he was correct in saying that it takes time to create other universes, he lied about saying that only original works could be formed. He never mentioned that that's what the time gates were for – to enter a different version of the story that were created from people on fanfiction and any other person that fantasizes the same thing. _

All of a sudden, I started to get dizzy. It wasn't the same kind of dizziness from sitting up on the couch. It was more like…the dizziness that weakens you to the point where you think you're going to pass out.

_Must be the hunger. Food now? Probably. _My foot slid off the couch and touched the carpeted floor. It felt weird to me – very foreign. It confused me. Was it the texture? It didn't look any different.

I immediately crouched down and ran my hands along the white fuzz. Something wasn't right.

_Wait… Is that…a heartbeat?_ I started to panic when I thought that I might find someone buried in the floorboards. Nothing was worse to me than being six feet under and _alive_. Amidst my panic, I had completely forgotten that one couldn'tbe buried six feet under when I was on the 10th floor. Needless to say, I was still in panic-mode.

My fingers twitched numerous times as fear and panic started to take control. They scoured the space beneath me before I let my head fall to the floor. I froze for a second, my eyes still buried into the carpet. I tilted my head to where my ear pressed against the fuzz and listened with all my might. My breathing seemed to have stopped and all I heard was the heartbeat.

Mine? No. It was fainter than my own heartbeat. But…it still went along with the same beat as mine. Why did it sound so far away? In the ground? Is there something in the ground waiting to grab my ankles and pull me into the darkest depths of Hell?

I let out a shrill cry and jumped back up on the couch with lightning speed. My legs curled up to my chest and my arms wrapped tightly around them. For good measure, I buried my head into my arms to where only my eyes could peer out to look for any signs of danger.

_So…this is how you live your life?_

I jumped as the voice inside my head began to speak. She sounded calmer than her usual screaming self. _W…What?_

_Wrapped up in a ball…like a scared little mouse._

_I'm not a mouse!_

_All you ever do is hide from the world, you little hermit. L has bravely shown his face to the people who have the power to take him out…police officers, if you will. As you know, he's also willing to show his face to criminals. But you can't even reveal your _real_ name. You hide behind an alias._

_That doesn't mean I'm scared. It just means I'm smart._

_You're a liar!_

"No I'm not…"

_You're a fraud! Masako Nagawa doesn't exist!_

"Yes, she does!"

_She's nothing but a random name pulled out of a hat full of useless meanings. You think that giving yourself a name relating to justice is going to _make _you justice? Make everything you do right?_

_No, _I thought forcefully.

_We can add foolish to that list as well. What kind of idiot jumps off a building to escape when you can just use the front door?_

"…not my fault."

_They were _your _actions. Were they not?_

_Yes, but-_

_Then you are foolish. A foolish, idiotic teenager who thinks she can help catch the bad guys. You always were a ridiculous dreamer…_

_It's not ridiculous!_

_Don't lie to me!_

I buried my head further into my arms since my vision was getting disoriented. "I didn't lie," I whispered softly.

_You're a cheat. You're a fool! Just quit while you're at it. You're nothing but a burden to the team!_

"You don't know anything…I'm saving them!" I told the voice in my head. This reply was slightly louder than the last one, but not by much.

The voice in my head made a 'tch' sound. _I doubt it. One of these days, you're going to cause more people to die than the actual story intended. _Then _you'll be sorry you never listened to me._

My eyes widened. It was a fear I had ever since we entered the plot. They were real people, now. They were _living, breathing humans_. I interacted with them, talked to them, and had gotten to know them during the few months I've spent in Japan. And the thought that haunts me with each passing day…I could _change the story_. I could make it something else. That was already proven when the Wammy kids entered the case early.

And if I have the ability to change things, I could prevent the deaths that originally happened.

And if I couldn't prevent the deaths that originally happened…

_...it would be all your fault._

Panic started to rise again and my hands slammed against my ears while I shut my eyes tight. A shriek followed and I didn't realize it was mine, even though it distorted into the same words that were coming out of my mouth. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Masako?"

My eyes snapped open to the size of saucers and rose from my knees to meet a concerned gaze.

After a moment of silence, my eyes returned to their normal size when my brain registered who it was.

"You okay?" Shai asked curiously. She took a tired step forward.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine," I reassured. The voice in my head went silent, though I could sense that it only fled into the deeper depths of my mind, making it a little bit less detectable. "Did you need something?"

"You don't look fine," she said, ignoring my question. Her head tilted to the side in question.

"No, I'm okay. It's those voices again," I laughed nervously and the muscle under my eye started undergoing spasms, giving me a 'not too sane' look. _Great, just what I need…_

She didn't look convinced, but let the subject go. "Uh… All right… Well, I just came up to ask how the case was going. Quite frankly, I'm bored and I need something to do. Anything I can help with?"

I uncurled myself from my ball rather warily and set my feet on the floor. My hands gripped the sofa cushions on either side of me while I was unknowingly giving off an uncomfortable aura. "Nothing I can think of. I _still _can't figure out who the Third Kira is. I must've joined over 15 clubs in the past month and _nothing _looks out of place."

"Are you looking hard enough?"

"Of course I am! At least I'd like to think so…"

Shai nodded. "Right. Well, if you don't find out who it is within the next week, do you think I could step in and help out?"

I shrugged. "If you really want to go to school, knock yourself out. You should ask L for permission, though."

She nodded nonchalantly. "That'd be a good idea, but I don't want to get involved if I'm not needed."

The room fell into an easy silence. Then, a random thought struck me. "Hey, Shai?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think our families are doing right now?" I asked out of the blue.

She raised an eyebrow at the risky question and shoved her hands deeper into her pants pockets. Her eyes fell to the floor in thought, trying to figure out how to word her answer with cameras and wiretaps around.

Keep in mind, Shinigami cannot go back in time. It was this knowledge that confused me. If we're spending time in this world, does time in our world go forward as well? Are our parents frantically searching their houses and all over town because the three of us are nowhere to be found, while we're actually spending time with cartoon characters in Tokyo? Are the police at our doorsteps after months of looking, only to give up on the case all together and pronounce us kidnapped or dead, when actually, the police officers in the Death Note world are working with us while we protect each other and investigate a murderer?

Questions like this scratched at my mind, and I wondered if Shai had thought of anything from our world at all since we've been here. Given the look on her face, though, I could tell that she had already thought about it a great deal, and was more focused on trying to find an answer to my question rather than dwell on the possibilities – for the sake of faking innocence while being monitored.

"Mine are probably going about their daily businesses. I don't have much interaction with my…mother" she tried to take as much poison out of her voice as possible before continuing, "so I don't think her life changed any. My dad and brothers might be a little saddened I'm gone, though," she nodded, satisfied with her reply, before looking at me with curious eyes. "What about yours?"

I blinked and let my eyes trail to the floor. I've never thought about it myself, which is the main reason why I asked Shai what she thought. "Probably the same as you. I don't interact with anyone very much, so it's probably the usual over at my place," of course, we told L that our parents gave us permission to come here by ourselves, so we couldn't mention the possibility that police officers could be scouring the state for us.

Both of us were being as vague as possible, since our home lives weren't exactly satisfying – but then again, whose home life was? The only reason I brought it up was to make sure she knew of the possibility that time in our world could be moving forward while we were elsewhere. We both came to a silent agreement that we would question a Shinigami about it later – preferably not Ketsueki, who had lied to us on more than one occasion.

Shai yawned and sent her gaze to the television. "Mind if I chill here for a while?"

"Why? With as often as you hide in the shadows, one would think you're scared of the color white," I smirked, referring to my all-white living room.

Shai mimicked my look in a less enthusiastic way, probably out of fatigue. "Cause I'm lazy right now and your couch looks very inviting, _regardless _of it's color."

She grabbed the remote off the glass coffee table and fell onto the couch. Her arm rested on the back of the furniture and she clicked on the TV.

"Want any sweets?" I asked simply.

"No thanks; I've had enough sweets to last a lifetime."

I looked at her incredulously. "So…you're not going to have sweets for the rest of your life?"

"Woah, let's not go _that _far. It's only an expression."

I giggled and leaned back on the couch. "Sure."

"Hey, check this out," her tone turned grave and her attention was directed towards the TV once more. A woman with short, black hair and beautiful eyes was shown on the screen. She sat behind a desk and gave the entire scene a graceful, yet eerie feel.

"T-Takada?" with large eyes, Shai and I zoned in on the TV, practically on the edge of our seats. "What the hell…why is she on TV?" I asked with disbelief etched into my eyes. This brought up the whole college glitch again, and my thoughts raced through my head faster than I could comprehend them. Light was still in college, and Takada would have to go to college and work her way up the career ladder to be a news anchor woman, wouldn't she? Why was she so far ahead when Light still had some studying to do? Or maybe it's something stupid, like volunteer work? Or maybe her family had money troubles, and made up all kinds of fake information to get the job? No – that was a stupid idea. She'd need to have the connections L does, and the news doesn't need volunteers when they could hire someone groomed for the job. Maybe she's actually older than Light in this universe and she went to college before he did? That would mean they've never met in college…

_Rem said there would be glitches in this universe, as did Ketsueki, which was the one thing Ketsueki didn't lie about…Damn, there's no doubt about it. This version of the real Death Note universe is a fanfiction idea. Obviously, people need to think this stuff through a bit more, because _nothing _makes sense in this world! College entry exams are during high school, but since Light is older than his original self in the actual story and _still _in college now, he would've had to wait a few years in order to take the entrance exam, which would be _way _after high school, and he wouldn't wait that long - let alone if you're even _allowed _to do that in Japan! Everything's wrong! We even got into the Task Force easily, which should be no easy task at all! What a stupid version we're in… _

I'd have to address these concerns to Shai and Kaida later.

"…police are investigating the case as we speak. In other news, a girl by the name of Tanaka Yori" a picture of the girl was shown in the corner of the screen as she continued "was found dead on the corner of Aoyama Don and Roppongi Dori earlier today."

My eyes widened at the name. The girl that made fun of me every day? The girl that tried to get a rise out of _anyone _that would defy her? The girl that yanked my earphone out of my ear when I wasn't looking? The girl that laughed and giggled at other people with her high school friends…she was gone for good?

It was one surprise after another…

"Police reports say that she had suffered from severe beatings to the head with a metal object. Currently, there are no leads."

"That's impossible!" I shouted at the screen. "Aoyama Don and Roppongi Dori are streets that are always occupied! They're like, the main routes for everyone! You mean to tell me that _no one_ saw _anything_?"

"Yori Tanaka…wasn't she that girl that you had problems with at school?"

My face eased up a bit from my shock as I looked at Shai. "Yeah."

"Then this information could be vital to the case."

I blinked. What made Yori's death so significant? "Do explain."

Her eyebrows furrowed as her gaze left the TV screen to meet mine. "We knew since the beginning that people like this Tanaka girl were going to die. You know, the mean, popular cheerleader type of person. But her death wasn't an accident like the others."

Amongst my confusion, I grasped what she was saying. "You're right. The rest were things like house fires and car crashes. She was murdered, or so it looks like."

Shai nodded. "But the question is…was this the working of the Death Note?"

I shrugged. "Not everyone that dies at the high school could be from the notebook. Yori was a very mean girl. Very ruthless and cunning. I don't know what all she's done in her past. For all we know, she could've ticked off some criminal or mafia member or even one of her past boyfriends who later killed her. I wouldn't put it passed her, either…"

"But if she _was _killed by the Death Note, then maybe Tanaka was a special case to the killer _because _she was more ruthless."

"So in a nutshell, since her death is displayed as a murder instead of an accident, it would draw attention to her death. It's like the killer is trying to say 'Look at what I've done, I just saved you all from this horrible person.'"

"It wasn't a suicide because the weapon isn't present at the scene. It's possible that someone else was controlled by the Death Note when committing the crime. In fact, I'm almost sure of it. Another question: did _this_ person die under the power of the Death Note?"

I heaved a sigh and relaxed back into the couch. "If the controlled person is dead, he or she was probably killed from an accident. I'm not sure if most people are aware that Kira can control his victims before they die, but either way, if it's noticed that both Tanaka and another person died in any way at the same time or within the same time block, it could be assumed that _that _person killed Tanaka on his own accord and later committed suicide. There are stories like that out there – too many to count."

"But if the Third Kira wants everyone to know that _he _did the killing and 'saved' them from Tanaka, the controlled person would have died from an accident, so attention would remain on the Third Kira himself."

"And we have to keep in mind," I stated with all seriousness "that people who don't believe in this fake Kira could make up the excuse that the person who killed Tanaka could have committed suicide and made it _look _like it was an accident, like purposely tripping on the cement and falling onto the train tracks while a train just happened to be coming his way at that moment. So to avoid thoughts like this sprouting in other people's minds…"

"More accidents happened at the same time so attention would be drawn away from the person that was controlled," Shai lifted her glasses with her fingers and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ease the pain in her head. "Damn, this guy isn't messing around, is he?"

"Obviously not, that is, if this was the workings of a Death Note," I twirled the shorter ends of my hair, deep in thought. "Who is this guy? I don't understand…" I whispered under my breath.

"You don't understand what?" Shai pushed up her glasses and rested her hands on her legs.

"The killer. Where do I _find _him? I don't even know if he goes to this school! He could be a parent or a teacher that I haven't even seen yet…"

Shai merely shook her head. "We're all doing the best we can – even you, Masako. Since we're only 15, we're very limited as to which locations we can be in, not to mention the fact that we're not geniuses like the others. Give it time. His pattern changed with Tanaka, so now that he's done it once, he can change his pattern again. Hopefully, some hints will be dropped along the way," she stood from her seat on the cushions and walked towards the elevator. "Don't worry about it too much, okay? Remember: Just give it one more week. Hopefully, I'll be your backup."

I nodded and waved a farewell. I was alone once more.

I stood and stretched. Several pops could be heard as my bones clicked back in place. My mouth opened in a wide yawn and used the remote to turn up the volume on the television. Retrieving some ice from the freezer and throwing it into a cup, I made my way back into the living room. Takada's voice was making its way to my ears no matter where I went, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. As much as I hated to admit it, her voice was actually quite soothing. It was the look in her eyes that was unsettling. Though, despite the mesmerizing voice, the news was still a bit depressing.

I put on my earphones and picked up my Ipod that was on the coffee table. It hadn't occurred to me that Near might have been listening in on the conversation.

"Hey, Near?"

There was a silence on the other end of the line for about ten seconds, and I was starting to think he wasn't there.

"Yes?"

I jumped slightly since I didn't hear much shuffling in the background for a warning, but I quickly recovered. "Did you hear what went on with me and Shai?"

"Yes, I have."

"What do you think?"

His monotone voice was keeping up with the beat of the conversation, not even hesitating before replying. "You two have interesting conclusions, but I don't think we can progress in this investigation with the death of Tanaka Yori alone."

I nodded to myself. "I thought so, too. Until the killer changes his pattern again, I don't think we're going to get anywhere."

"I'm going to send this conversation to L and Mello – This is vital information. I'll come to you with any new conclusions or suggestions they may have."

"Understood," I stated firmly.

"And if you don't mind, I would like to speak with you in person. Are you able to come up at this time?"

I tilted my head in question. "Um, okay. Sure, I'll be right up."

"Good. See you soon."

The connection cut off with a short static-like sound.

I took out my earphones slowly, wondering what was so important that he had to tell me in person. The only difference between talking to someone over audio and talking to someone in person is body language. So chances are, he wanted to ask me personal questions – questions that I would most likely lie about. Comparing and contrasting facial expressions with your tone of voice could give you away in an instant. I only hoped he didn't ask anything that I didn't come up with a lie for.

* * *

"Kaida!"

My head jerked at the sound of my name. I let the silver necklace I was holding fall on the desk and quickly covered it with my hand. "What?"

The door to her room opened slightly. Mello's head peered through the opening. "Ryuzaki wants you to go downtown with Amane and Matsuda."

"For what?"

"She insists on doing some more shopping and the rest of the Task Force needs to get some work done."

My jaw pretty much dropped to the floor. "M-Me? Why me?"

"She asked to go with you specifically."

_Me? Specifically? Ridiculous. I didn't do anything to make her hate me yet! Why must I go through with this torture?_

"They're leaving in about ten minutes. Hurry up."

"Yeah, I'm working on it…" I replied, not even moving from my desk chair. "Hey, can't someone else come with me?"

"Why?"

"You really trust Matsuda and Misa together by themselves? They'd either get lost or get into some kind of trouble."

"That's why no one else is going – because you'll be enough to keep them in their places. Right?"

I snickered. "You really want me to answer that?"

Mello gave an icy glare that seemed to intimidate everyone but me. In response, I merely raised an eyebrow while a smirk formed on my face. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Ten minutes," with that, he shut the door.

While heaving a sigh, I pushed myself off of my desk chair and put the heart locket in my pocket.

"_It will open when you are ready."_

I gave Mai's voice in my head a sarcastic smile. _What a cheesy necklace... You know, when I rule the world, everything will open to me once I say "Open, says me!" This "when you are ready" crap is really getting on my nerves…_

After getting myself ready, I left the bedroom and tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for the elevator doors to open. I was not looking forward to this.

"Oh. Hello, Kaida."

Masako stood inside the elevator and I saw that she had changed into dark sweatpants and a light sweater after her three-hour school day. A cup of ice was in her hand, and her hair looked to be slightly unmanaged.

I stepped into the elevator and hit the ground floor button in a lazy manner. "Sup, Masako?"

"You know. Just chilling."

Now, it was none of my business, but hey. I was curious. "You look a little jittery. Somethin' up?"

The brunette raised her head slightly and shook it rather quickly for someone who wasn't nervous. "No, no. I'm okay."

I raised an eyebrow. "You suuuuuure?" I let the last word drag out and I gave her a knowing smile. She didn't seem to appreciate my reply.

"Yes, of course I'm sure!"

I eyed the lit up numbers on the buttons of the elevator – specifically, the button I didn't push. "You heading to Near's floor?"

She gave a slow nod.

"What for?"

"He wanted to talk to me about something…"

I raised an eyebrow and the elevator doors opened, revealing a white room. "If it's about the case, let me know what goes down. Otherwise, you're glad Misa's not here or she'd be all over your case," I gave her a suggestive wink.

"N-No, wait! It's not like that!"

"Never said it was," I grabbed her shoulders and thrust her into the room. The elevator doors closed as I yelled loudly "Get some!"

Masako stared at the closed doors incredulously and she turned her attention to a certain albino in a crouched position on a chair, who was stacking dice on the table in front of him.

He turned to her in question with his head tilted to the side. "Get what?"

Masako shook her head violently and waved her hands for emphasis. "N-Nothing! Nothing!"

* * *

Kaida dug her nails into her arm, dreading what was to come.

"Ready?"

The girl had to bite back a snippy remark. "Yeah."

Misa bounced in place and clapped her hands a few times. "Yay!" she turned to Matsuda and smiled brightly. "Let's go, Matsui!"

The police officer, now known as Matsui, gave a restrained smile. It was easy to see that he was hiding any excitement he had for shopping with the model since his lips were twitching slightly. It would be completely unprofessional to gush over shopping in front of his coworkers.

"Remember," Kaida turned to L, who was addressing the three of them sternly "refrain from attracting too much attention. This goes for you especially, Miss Amane," he finished, referring to her status with the public. The blonde perked up at her name.

"Can someone just shoot me?" Kaida complained under her breath.

"No, because then one of _us _will have to go in your place," Aizawa informed from his seat on the couch. His space in front of him on the coffee table was loaded with papers, as was Mogi's. Soichiro was looking over past evidence with L and Light, which mainly consisted of video footage.

Kaida resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "That would be the point…" With both Matsuda _and _Misa shopping, this might take a while.

"What are you talking about? We're going to have so much fun! Come on, let's go, already!" Misa jumped up and down eagerly and the three made their way to the elevator.

A few of the Task Force members watched them go, wariness in their eyes and serious looks on their faces.

"Ryuzaki, I don't mean to question your authority, but shouldn't someone else go with Matsuda and Misa, other than Kaida?" Soichiro asked in a low voice.

Aizawa glanced over at the messy-haired detective. "Yeah, didn't you say you didn't trust the girls?"

"I never said I didn't trust them, Aizawa. I simply said that we would put them under surveillance."

Aizawa sweat dropped and muttered under his breath, "What's the difference…?"

"But you know what Kaida's like. Matsuda and Misa get distracted easily, and with Kaida's ability to trick people so readily, she can slip away at any time," the light reflected a bit off of Soichiro's glasses as he spoke.

"Exactly."

"W-What?" Everyone in the room gasped.

"Okay, now you're not making any sense," Aizawa seemed to be getting impatient now, "You just said you wanted to keep them under surveillance – and now you're saying it's perfectly fine for them to walk around without it!"

"Calm yourself, Aizawa."

When the police officer's angry expression fell, even though he was still tense, L continued. "Remember when I discussed the situation of the girls with you? I told you that I knew they were hiding something…something relating to the case," his gaze moved away from his computer screen and he swiveled his chair around to face the rest of the Task Force. The chain around his wrist made clinking noises that synchronized with his movements. "Since it's obvious at this point that they won't share this information, we'll have to take matters into our own hands and find out for ourselves."

Aizawa let out a 'hn' noise since the detective made a good point. L spun his chair around once more and pushed a button on his computer, holding it in as he spoke through a microphone. "Matt, they should be heading down the street shortly. You remember what you must do, correct?"

The goggled teen's voice flooded the speakers. "Yeah, I see them coming now. Don't worry, I got it covered."

"So Matt's the one that's going to follow them?" Soichiro asked for conformation.

With a confused expression, Aizawa spoke up once more. "But wouldn't they notice Matt's car?"

"They would. That's why he's not following them in his car. We have other vehicles in the garage for situations like this."

"I see. So you set this up beforehand," Aizawa observed. Mogi still remained silent from his seat across from Aizawa, listening to the conversation intently.

L bobbed his head. "Light and I contacted Matt earlier today so that he would be prepared. Misa had said that she wanted to shop with Kaida specifically, so the percentage she would get away from the two has decreased. But just in case she happens to slip away…important information could be leaked to us."

"Great…" Aizawa mumbled sarcastically. "That means that we'll have to tail the other two eventually, right?" with another bob of L's head, the bushy-haired police officer continued. "While those three are investigating the Third Kira, we'll be investigating not only the First and Second Kira, but _them _as well," he groaned in annoyance and began to massage his temples.

Soichiro sighed. "I guess it must be done. We don't know who these girls really are or what they're hiding, so I think Ryuzaki is right in what he's doing."

Aizawa huffed a bit before returning to the files in front of him. "I still don't see why we should bother with them, since they're just teenagers, after all."

"I wouldn't underestimate them, Aizawa," Light warned with a clouded look in his eye. "While their intelligence doesn't even come close to L's or his successors', they're smarter than they appear to be. It wouldn't hurt to be cautious."

He sighed. "Yeah, I know what you're saying, but still."

Mogi went back to his papers with Aizawa while Soichiro leaned back in his chair next to L. Light glanced from one member to the next, his gaze resting on L last. After a few seconds, the detective turned his head to look at Light head on. He noticed the look on Light's face and nodded in reassurance. The straight A student blinked in reply and turned himself to face his own computer, still uncomfortable with the situation.

To him, it seemed like they were investigating each other more than they were investigating Kira.

* * *

**And the plot continues! In order to keep up with the story, here's a side note for you guys. **

**Questions you may have: Who is the Third Kira? Did the Third Kira really kill Tanaka Yori? And if so, what was his motive behind it? What's Ringo's reaction to Tanaka's death? Why does Misa want to hang out with Kaida? Will Kaida end up accidentally leaking information to the Task Force? What does Near want to talk about with Masako? When will Kaida finish her apple questioning with Ryuk? What is up with all of these glitches in the universe? Who is Mai and Ringo keeping in the basement? Where is the voice in Masako's head coming from (you may know if you kept up with Ringo's flashbacks in the last chapter, I hope…)? Will Takada come into the story anytime soon? **

**Let me know your thoughts on any of the questions above, or anything related to the story in general. It's nice to know where my readers stand in terms of understanding/liking/disliking the story, no? If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer and explain, and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. **


	38. Interrogation

**Kaida: Hello~ one and all! I've come to** **take over the world! Document this moment, because I'm gonna start by taking over this stage! Now, if you'll please remain calm and give a small donation to the **_**K's New World Foundation **_**(K as in **_**Kaida,**_** not **_**Kira**_**), I might actually spare your insignificant lives! My little minions are stationed all throughout the audience with hats and buckets to collect donations. They're also equipped with paintball and water guns, so don't even think about escaping~!**

**Light: *at home watching broadcast* Hey! …She stole my idea...**

**Ryuk: *cackles***

**Number 5: *from behind curtain* Kaida-sama. **_**Pssssssst! **_

**Kaida: *leans back* What?**

**Number 5: ESF is demanding entry. She says she has something important to tell the audience.**

**Kaida: Like hell she does! Send her away!**

**Number 5: We tried, but she won't leave. She said it's **_**really **_**important.**

**Kaida: Do I look like I care? Do what you have to. Stab her with a fork! Throw stuffed monkeys at her! Bribe her with cupcakes and bananas! I don't care what you do, just get rid of her. *back at audience* Number 14! Disclaimer! **

***little boy stumbles on stage* **

**Number 14: *reads note card* Eternalsnowfox does not own Death Note, nor will she ever. Areas where credit is due go to their respectful owners, Ohba and Obata. Also, Kaida-sama is the Awesomest of all Awesome. Enjoy the chapter! *bows* **

* * *

Shai stuffed her hands in her pockets with the utmost frustration. This whole thing with time was really starting to pick at her nerves. If this universe wasn't so immensely confusing and attention-demanding, she might actually get some stuff done.

_Not that I have anything to accomplish, anyway…_

She thought about kicking the nearest wall to get rid of some pent up anger, but that would solve nothing. Given the look on Masako's face earlier, her thoughts matched her own on Takada. What the _hell _was she doing on TV? Everything seems to be going by the anime instead of the manga, in which there's a three year time difference between the two. So in this world, time had bumped up three years from the anime and six years from the manga. Though, with this three year time skip from the anime, the ages changed. Light couldn't be three years into college because she heard from L that Light was a freshman. So just how was she supposed to figure out what was up with the university issue? Just walk up to Light and _ask _him?

…_Wait. That's it! But the question is, how…_

Shai drummed her fingers along the coffee table in front of her. A can of soda and a bowl of cherries sat on the wooden surface and she could faintly hear the bubbles in the can rise to the surface and pop randomly to the beat of her fingers. She had an urge to play video games so she could actually put her tapping fingers to good use, but there were more important things to do…

_Since it's a random question, it would look suspicious if that was the first thing I asked as soon as I entered the room. It would give L the impression that that bit of information is significant since I came all the way down to ask. Maybe I should just play a video game for half an hour, and then suddenly question Light to make it look like it just popped into my head? Wait, that's suspicious, too. At this rate, I'd have to guide the conversation myself. L's bound to notice what I'm doing and he'll get suspicious either way, so I might as well just go for it. I could just use the excuse that I was bored and wanted to make small talk. Besides, I don't like not knowing things…_

Shai tapped one of her many pockets for the rectangular block that usually occupied the space. Sure enough, it had loyally stayed in its rightful place. A new found energy was felt coursing through her body and the instinct to play video games made her fingers twitch. She made her way to the elevator, formulating her plan.

* * *

The awkward encounter with Kaida caused Masako to fidget slightly. She was seated on a chair across from the albino, who was stacking dice on the glass table in front of him. His building consisted of different towers and complex patterns with the dots on the sides of the dice.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" she started, tipping her ice glass from side to side expectantly.

"Yes, I did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to come up here," he continued stacking his dice, and after about a minute, Masako had an impatient look on her face. Finally, he spoke, "Instead of beating around the bush, I'll get straight to the point," Masako flinched from his sudden firm tone, but her action was barely noticeable.

"Um…all right. What is it?"

He placed the cube at the top of one of his towers and lowered his hand so he could see her properly. "Do you have any type of disorder that causes auditory hallucinations?"

"I'm sure that I _don't_. Why?" Masako asked warily as she set her cup of ice on the table, but not before popping an ice cube into her mouth.

"Before Shai arrived on your floor, you were talking to yourself. Or at least, so it appeared."

She gave him an incredulous look and almost choked on her ice cube. He continued, "You also acted as though you could hear something under your floorboards and began to panic."

Masako eyed him carefully before piping up, her voice slightly muffled from the ice cube, "Wait, how did _you _know I was listening to something under the floorboards? Only Ryuzaki monitors the three of us-"

"Wrong," Near dragged out in a bored sigh. His dice stacking had ceased and his attention was directed at the girl sitting across from him. "I requested the video feed from L after I addressed my suspicions."

"So does this mean you'll be monitoring me along with Ryuzaki?" more muffling.

"No, but I'll have to have Mello schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist."

"Ps-Psychiatrist?" Masako yelled, nearly choking on her ice cube for a second time. She settled for chewing it so she wouldn't choke on the damn thing again. That settles it: no more ice.

"Yes. We'll have you use a different alias than the one you use at school-"

"Why's that?"

"Our goal right now is to observe only. Honoka Morishira is just an average transfer student blending in with the crowd. The last thing we need is for the patterns in the killings to change all because of one mistake, wouldn't you agree?"

Masako inhaled loudly and thought for a moment. "Oh, I see what you mean," she exhaled just as loudly after replying.

Think of it like this: If Masako had a disorder and the students found out, some may actually begin to make fun of her, as a normal school would. Because of the Third Kira's extremities with the notebook, the people who were picking on Masako would die of accidents, disrupting the flow of killings. Thus, leading them further away from the killer.

"But a psychiatrist, Near? _Really? _I talk to myself all the time!"

"No…this time was different."

"Hm?"

"You can hear the difference between someone talking to himself and someone talking to another individual. You were speaking with a purpose – as if your answer would change something, as opposed to merely throwing it to the wind as you usually do."

"So in a nutshell, it was my tone?"

"Yes, I guess that would sum it up."

She pouted and crossed her arms. "I still don't like it…"

"Well, if you're going to help catch Kira-"

"I know, I know. I have to be at my best," she finished while rolling her eyes. She had heard the same thing from L many times before. Maybe Near really was a copycat. "Wow, Near. I think this is the longest time I've see you keeping your hands still."

He blinked nonchalantly and began stacking his dice again. "I have to be on my guard around a possible psychotic."

She narrowed her eyes when she detected a slight smirk from his voice, even if his face remained blank. "Hey, hey, hey, now! I'm not a fruit cake or anything!"

"I never said you were."

"It was implied," she huffed.

"I'd also like to ask you something else, if you don't mind," his voice reverted to the serious monotone he always used.

"What?" Masako snapped as her eyes hardened at Near.

His hand paused in midair, a die positioned in between his index finger and thumb. His eyes were cold and calculating – eyes that seemed determined to find the truth. "You said, 'I'm saving them.' Who exactly were you referring to?"

She realized her mistake and her eyes opened ever so slightly. This didn't go unnoticed.

"If someone is in danger, it would be greatly appreciated if you were to come forward."

"No, it's no one! It's just…" Masako's brain rattled inside her skull for an answer, "Plates."

The albino tilted his head in question. "Plates?"

She mentally slapped herself. She was never good at coming up with excuses when put on the spot. "Yes. Plates. Glass plate pieces. I'm saving them. Jigsaw puzzles are boring nowadays. Putting slivers of glass together is much more of a challenge," she explained, pulling a random memory from out of nowhere. It was back when she had fallen in her kitchen, dropping and shattering a few plates. Misa had popped up and they talked for a while, eventually leading to Masako picking up plate pieces and Misa being completely perplexed after she had told the blonde that she was going to keep them instead of throwing them away. Why Masako decided this, she herself would never know, considering all of the cuts she received while cleaning it up.

"As shocking as this may sound to you, I don't buy that."

Masako's eyes glazed over slightly and she sneered. "Oh, really? Now when have _I _ever lied to _you_?"

"As far as I know, constantly."

"How so? Do tell, Oh Brilliant One," she had an edge in her voice that didn't seem to belong to her.

"For one thing, your name is obviously a fake-"

"As is yours."

"You lied about your background-"

"And if that was leaked, might as well paint a sign on one of those huge ad bulletins and make it say 'Kira kill me now!'"

"And you know more information than you're telling us."

She narrowed her eyes at this. "First of all, I was lying to _L. _Not _you._"

"Lying to one member is equivalent to lying to the rest of the Task Force. We are, after all, a team."

"That's not fair! You weren't even a part of the Task Force when I told those lies! And secondly, what makes you think I'm hiding something?"

"You just admitted it."

Different emotions passed over Masako's face. After about a minute, she realized her mistake and face-palmed. A flicker of amusement went through Near's eyes, but it came and went so quickly that it was unnoticed.

"Th…That doesn't explain how you knew to begin with."

"Do you remember when you first made contact with L?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Need I say more?"

Masako closed her mouth. She acted suspicious from the very beginning – that was the only way to get into the Task Force. Her smarts weren't enough to get her into this mess. No, she had to rely on Light's answers for the deductive reasoning test, L's reasoning for sitting in a crouched position, and previous information from the series to conclude Kira's personality and narrow down the suspects to Light Yagami when explaining to L what she thought of said killer. Her smarts from then and now don't match up, and they picked up on it immediately.

"And since you hesitated, you've confirmed any doubt that I may have had," Near commented coolly.

Her eyes cleared from the haze and blinked a few times. She knew that they suspected her of at least _something_, but she didn't think anyone was going to be this up front about it. Well, maybe L. But she never knew _Near _to be blunt. He was always a behind-the-scenes guy. He had everyone else be blunt for him. As far as Masako could tell, this wasn't going well for her.

"Yes. We're hiding something…but that doesn't mean I'm going to say anything!"

"You don't have to snap."

"The hell I don't!"

Near went silent at this point and gave her a few seconds to calm down. Once again, only the clacking of dice could be heard.

She inhaled slowly, paused, then exhaled. "I'm done."

"Good."

"I'm still not saying anything, so don't think you can trick me into revealing information."

"I won't have to."

Masako gave him a questioning look, and a slight trace of panic could be seen in her eyes. "Why not?"

"Miss Amane, Mr. Matsuda, and Kaida are out shopping right now. If Kaida finds a way to slip away from the group, some very useful information could be revealed."

"…Why are you telling me this?"

Near placed a die on the side of his tower, and took his sweet time doing it. "It appears that with the way you three entered the Task Force, your only goal was to be here, and nothing else. You weren't taking any action after that, except for the Sakura TV incident. In this case, you ran after Ukita, whose life was in danger. It was almost as if…you knew he was going to die. Not only that, but you ran after the Second Kira with no backup. Every time, you took matters into your own hands. What I don't understand is _why_," the last part seemed to be said to himself as his thoughts trailed away.

Masako's expression remained blank. "That doesn't explain why you're telling me this."

"Actually, it does. Whatever your motives are, they are not working against the Task Force," his hand rested on his knee and brought his face down to where his mouth was shielded from her view, but he was still able to keep an eye on Masako. "My main goal is to offer you reassurance. I do not believe that what you are withholding will do much harm, so I encourage you to share what you know."

"You don't know that," Masako realized she was digging herself a hole, but the only thought that came to her was to try and destroy the boy genius's confidence.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but here is what I believe you to think: This withheld information can help the investigation, but there's a price to pay if it is revealed to everyone…" his voice trailed away once again and brought up a finger that twirled a lock of his hair. His mouth was still shielded from view and he gave off a strong, calculating aura that was inclined to suffocate its victims.

Masako remained silent, unsure of what to say. Once again, he took a direct approach. Did he really have that much faith in her or is he just overly confident with his conclusion?

Either way, he hit the nail on the head. There was no doubt that L drew out the same conclusion as Near.

Seeing as she wouldn't respond, he continued. "However, L and I have different views on the matter,"

She scratched out her last idea quickly before coming back to attention. "Go on."

"L isn't fully convinced that this information is helpful. He understands that there is a high possibility, but he won't fully acknowledge it as such unless the percentage rises above 90."

"And you?" Based on everything Near had just told her, Masako could give a pretty accurate guess. She just didn't know what to say at this point, so all she could do was keep the conversation going until she came up with a way to get herself out of this mess.

"So far, I'd say you're not much of a threat. Though, I'd still like to know what there is to hide…and how you obtained this information to begin with."

Masako bit her lip thoughtfully. She wasn't sure whether to consider the first part of his reply a compliment or an insult.

"But I would like to know one thing, and please answer honestly,"

Masako looked at Near oddly before slowly nodding her head. She leaned forward in her seat to show that she was listening.

He paused, phrasing his question carefully in his mind, before responding. "Is your goal to protect?"

Her eyes widened in, once again, disbelief. This conversation had taken a turn for the worse, and no matter what angle she viewed it from, she was screwed. How did he piece it together? Or was it just a hunch he had? Maybe the whole 'I'm saving them' phrase gave her away? Thankfully, though, his question was broad. Protect as in protect Kira, or protect L? Either way, help or hurt, she could see that he was being respectful to her wishes, which was more than she would've gotten from L.

The brunette weighed the pros and cons as quickly as she could. It wouldn't hurt if she answered yes, would it? What if he didn't let it go and prodded more? But if she answered no, he'd know she was lying because she hesitated again. Not only that, but she'd lose every ounce of trust he had for her, which probably wasn't much to begin with.

Light's voice seemed to make its way to her mind, quoting the one panicked line that deviated from his cool and collected attitude. _Damn it! He got me!_

With a newfound certainty in her eyes, she nodded firmly. Her eyes brimmed with confidence and all traces of confusion and disbelief were gone. "Yes, it is."

He nodded and lifted his head while his right hand reached for one of the many dice scattered in front of him. His left hand was still entangled in his hair, and by the look in his eyes, it seemed that a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I see," he replied simply.

"Does anyone else know what you've concluded?"

"Just Mello and Matt."

"And what do they think?"

"That is not my place to say."

"Oh, I see… Wait…" Masako forgot that she was being monitored and started to panic, "Is Ryuzaki watching right now? And the rest of the Task Force? What about Light?" dread filled her as a picture of Kira's evil grin entered her mind.

Near picked up on her urgency. "Please don't get yourself worked up. My floor isn't being monitored at the moment."

"Then what about-"

"As long as you are with me, Mello, or Matt, you won't be monitored for safety purposes."

"Safety?"

"If Light Yagami is Kira, he may try to formulate a plan to get you killed. Of course, that all depends on what is said, and L doesn't want to take that risk."

"T-That's good…" she sighed in relief.

With that, Masako nodded and stood from her chair, grabbing her cup of ice from the table. Water had dripped down the sides and made a ringlet on the table, which she wiped up with her sleeve out of respect. "I guess I should get going, then."

"Yes, thank you for your time. You've eased some of my curiosity."

She smiled widely at him. "No problem!" she exclaimed in a happy-go-lucky voice. Her mood swing caught him off guard, but his only reaction was a blink.

* * *

Half an hour had passed. Shai had been tapping away at her Nintendo, making sure she played a game that wouldn't distract her too much from her thoughts. The last thing she needed was to get lost in the gaming realm.

"Ryuzaki, Masako's heading towards the roof," Soichiro stated the obvious as he glanced worriedly at the specified monitor.

"Yes, Mr. Yagami. I can see her," the detective replied in a monotone. His gaze was hard to follow since he was paying attention to several monitors at once. Some displayed Misa, one was showing Masako scale the stairs that led to the roof, and the rest showed the empty rooms of Shai and Kaida.

"Well? Aren't you going to stop her?" Soichiro inquired seriously. He was still trying to understand why the detective wouldn't monitor Masako while she was on the albino's floor, and it made him slightly frustrated and confused. He was surprised at how much trust L had put into Near compared to the trust he had towards the officers that worked for him.

"Hmmm... She doesn't appear to be in any rush to do anything important, so we can leave her be."

"But last time-"

Shai intercepted before it turned ugly, "If you don't mind me saying so, Mr. Yagami, maybe she just needs some fresh air."

The Chief let out a 'hm' noise and looked back down at the criminal files he was supposed to examine. Criminals were still being killed at a steady rate. The pattern was the same, and Kira didn't seem like he was aiming to taunt L again any time soon. So far, the only leads they have were…well…none. L still suspects that Light is Kira, though, and nothing on this Earth could possibly change his mind.

"Hey, Light."

The said boy turned his head to the person who had addressed him.

"You're still in college, right?" asked Shai. She really couldn't think of anything more creative because it wasn't like there was conversation floating around the room to begin with, or any other time for that matter.

"Yeah, I'm a freshman at To-Oh University."

"Don't take this offensively, but you look a little older than 18. How old are you, exactly?"

"I'm 21. Why all the questions, Shai?"

"Well, I'm just curious as to why you'd wait three years before entering university. Don't you have to go right after high school?"

Light smiled at her curiosity. "No, you don't _have _to go to a university right after high school. It's like in America: you can apply at any time, though most people who end up in university apply right after their required education. It's just easier that way."

"Then why wait three years? You don't seem like the kind of guy to put off his education, with as brilliant and talented as you are."

Light picked up on the compliment and gave a modest laugh. "I was offered the chance to study abroad for three years."

"Whoa! Really?" her DS game had been paused and her hands gripped the device tightly, distracted by Light's awesomeness. "Where to? And what for?"

"I studied Forensic Sciences in different areas throughout Europe."

Her jaw literally dropped open. "That's…that's…" admiration for her idol shot up through the roof upon hearing this. She wondered if he had been given the opportunity to travel abroad in the anime or the manga, but didn't take the offer due to the Death Note. Of course, anything was possible.

She managed to gain control over her tongue and find the right words. "That's so cool! Wish I could do that someday…"

"You want to study abroad?"

"It's a cool thought, but I already have my plans set for the future," she smiled to herself as her dream played out like a movie in her head.

"Oh, really? What do you want as a career?"

"Movie director," she replied simply, thought her mind was elsewhere. Her future played out before her on a huge TV screen; the epic angles of the camera pointing at various idols she wished to meet someday. David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Lelouch Vi Britannia, the list goes on…

Coming back to reality, Shai remembered back to when she arrived at Light's place and they talked for a while – careers being something they didn't talk about. Since it appeared that Light had lost his memories of the Death Note, he had forgotten the bit of conversation that involved anything related to Kira. Everything else, however, was remembered by both of them, leaving their friendship unharmed.

L listened intently, even though it didn't appear that he was. Any bit of information on Shai would be beneficial to him in the long run, he figured.

Aizawa cut in with a frustrated growl before the conversation could progress. "This isn't a social group," he warned as he shuffled through papers in an annoyed fashion.

Shai's eyes narrowed significantly. Aizawa was one of the very few Task Force members that got under her skin.

Matt's voice came through the speakers. "Ryuzaki."

"What is it, Matt?" L's voice seemed to be a bit lively, but it was barely noticeable. If Shai had to deduce something from this, she would think that he was slightly eager to hear something in particular.

"Kaida managed to slip away from the two, just as we expected."

Shai looked up with furrowed eyebrows and a slight frown.

"Did Matsui successfully place the wiretaps inside her jacket?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna leave the other two and start following her now."

"What's going on?" she had a feeling she knew what they were doing, and she desperately hoped that wasn't it.

L ignored her and spoke into the microphone once more, "Make sure to stream us video feed if necessary."

"Will do."

The connection cut, leaving Shai beyond confused. "Light? Ryuzaki?"

"Kaida, Misa, and Matsuda left to go shopping earlier," Light ended up answering, "We anticipated that Kaida would escape under Matsuda's watch, so we took some extra precautions."

Shai shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was thankful that Light had answered instead of L, but Light had the ability to make things sound better than they actually were. Sugarcoat, if you will. L, on the other hand, would've been blunt and abrupt, which was probably why he didn't respond so he wouldn't get a rise out of her.

Knowing all to well what they were trying to accomplish, she spent the next few minutes trying to relieve some tension in her body, so as to not look nervous.

Who the hell was she kidding? If Kaida wasn't careful…she was toast.

No…all _three _of them would be toast. Burnt toast. In fact, they would be burnt toast without any butter or jelly. And that would be scary.

* * *

**Kaida: Done with the chapter! L and his successors are catchin' on quick, CUE THE DRAMATIC MUSIC! **

***dramatic music plays***

**Kaida: *points to audience* Now keep that money coming! You got chocolate, hand that over, too!**

**Number 5: *from behind curtain again* Kaida-sama. **_**Pssssssst!**_

**Kaida: Report!**

**Number 5: ESF told me to give you this. *hands note card***

**Kaida: Hm? Letter of surrender and eternal minionship? *grabs card, reads, scoffs* Whatever. *to audience* People, people, people! Listen up!**

**Light: *at home* What's she doing now? Stealing **_**more **_**of my ideas?**

**Ryuk: Who knows? World conquest seems to be in high demand these days. Pretty interesting, don't you think?**

**Kaida: A message from Eternalsnowfox herself: "Thanks to everyone for all of the reviews and adds! You give me inspiration! If there are any mistakes in this chapter, please let me know because it has been through some heavy editing. You may notice that Near refers to L as 'L' instead of 'Ryuzaki' like everyone else does. This is not a mistake – he's on his own floor and he wasn't being monitored, not to mention the rule doesn't apply to him because he is not as simple-minded as the Task Force to where he may accidentally reveal his identity. Same goes for Mello and Matt, but not our three heroines. Also, I might not be updating for a while because of issues at home (no, I am not in trouble…yet ;), so there's no telling how long I won't have internet. In the meantime, though, I'll be writing until my poor little fingers get blisters. See you in the next chapter (if I'm not locked out of my own set again cough cough KAIDA) I…less than three you?" *looks at card in confusion* What the hell does that mean? Is it a secret code or something? **

**Number 5: *facepalms***

**Kaida: Anyway, I'll be seeing YOU *points dramatically in your direction* in the next chapter. OR ELSE. **

_**K's New World would like to thank each and every one of you for being less significant than Kaida. She couldn't have been as awesome as she is without your existence. Tune in for our next broadcast…or else!**_

**Ryuk: Hehe…You know, she is pretty awesome.**

**Light: *warning glare* Ryuk…**


	39. Destruction

**Me: So…I tried to fix my computer a while back…**

**Mello: She broke it to the point where she couldn't even turn it on.**

**Me: Okay! Not all of us can be geniuses! *throws octopus at face, clears throat* Anyway, school started and it's been exceptionally hard to find a computer to type this up on. It's a pretty intense chapter - I kept having to walk away from it because my head hurt every time I thought about it.**

**Shai: It's…so long…**

**Me: About thirty Microsoft pages. I was debating on whether or not to split it up into two chapters, but it's all one idea so I couldn't make the cut. Enjoy the long-awaited chapter!**

**Shai: Wait a minute…why are we not in there? *points to building next to them* **

**Booming voice from inside: Hear these words, my minions! We will stand together and rise up from the dead! We will conquer all that is in this world, and when we are through and achieve world domination, I will become YOUR RULER!**

***cheering***

**Me: She locked me out again. I swear, she's a bad influence on our readers…**

***door opens, child comes out***

**Child: Mello?**

**Mello: Yep. *walks in***

**Me: Hey, hey, hey! What gives?**

**Mello: *flashes card* VIP pass. :3**

**Me: Hey you little bitch! Get your ass back here! *door closes* It's **_**my **_**stage! I'M THE BRAINS OF THIS ESTABLISHMENT! *bangs on door* You're going to have to pay rent or something!**

**Shai: *sigh* ESF doesn't own Death Note. **

…

Isae crouched down and examined the circular object in her hand. "And you're sure this is going to work?"

Touya shrugged and grinned clumsily, "My brother's the inventor – I just test the stuff. I won't make any guarantees, though. After all, these _are_ prototypes and it _was _last minute."

Ami fidgeted her fingers in anxiety while her glasses slid slowly down her nose. When she noticed her vision go askew, she pushed up the bridge with her index finger. "Touya-san, I don't think it's a good idea to do anything unless we test it, first."

"Relax! All it does is make snaps and pops. Nothing serious."

"Snaps and pops?" Ami asked to be sure.

"Yeah. Smoke, too. It's a prank toy. Think of it like…those snap things that Americans use during a holiday. You know, the Fourth of June."

"It's the Fourth of July, you idiot," Isae commented in an irked tone.

"No it's not! It's the 21st, today!"

"Just forget it…" Isae muttered in a sigh.

Touya sighed and leaned against the brick wall. "So, who's the target?"

Isae peered around the corner of the school. Even though it was the last day of school, not everyone left the grounds since they were saying their goodbyes. A smile spread across her face when she found who she was looking for. "Honoka Morishira."

"Who?" the boy peered around the corner and followed her gaze. He saw five kids socializing under a tree at the far end of the schoolyard.

"The girl with brown hair. She has slightly longer hair than the other one."

"Oh, I see her!" Touya returned to his spot and clapped his hands together, smiling devilishly. "Let's get this party started!"

"You have to try not to look too suspicious. Yori-chan will never forgive us if we can't carry out this simple task," Isae warned in an eerie tone, "Remember: she's watching," she pointed to the steps where Yori and her group of friends were sitting.

"I know, I know. How could I forget? She's the one that told me to bring this stuff to begin with. I don't forget my missions."

"Whatever, Touya. Just don't screw up."

"Hey, don't lecture the master! I got skills that you can't even comprehend!"

"Then you can use those skills now!" Isae shoved the gray object in his hands and yanked him up from his seat on the grass. "Now go out there and make a scene! And don't forget to put the tracker on her."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got this," he slid the object up his right sleeve and checked his pocket. Sure enough, a squared object could be felt through his uniform.

…

"Great, so you'll come?" Ringo asked in a hopeful tone.

Masato sighed, "Yes, I'll come."

Yoshio remained motionless with his back against the tree trunk, though, he noticed a certain freckled boy walking casually towards them.

"Cool! This is gonna be so much fun!" Ringo bounced on the balls of his feet as he continued, "I haven't been downtown with some friends in a while. We can go to the pizza shop, Oshima's, the arcade-"

"Did somebody say arcade?" Touya slung an arm around Ringo's neck and beamed at the group. "I'm down for that!"

Ringo's expression remained the same as he regarded his friend, "Hey, Touya!"

"What's happenin' mah brothah," Touya replied in one of his 'cool' tones.

"We were gonna hang out downtown. Honoka-chan here finally has some time to chill," the blond pointed at Honoka who waved slightly at the boy.

"My, my, my!" Touya slid away from Ringo and stood in front of Honoka, giving her a quick scan from head to toe. "So _you're _the new kid that Yori's always referring to? I have no idea what she's talking about," he turned to Ringo and stage whispered with a cat grin, "She's pretty cute."

Ringo narrowed his eyes, "Don't even think about it, Touya."

He turned back and noticed a light pink blush creep up on Honoka's face. She scratched her cheek with her finger shyly and mumbled, "I don't know about cute…"

Touya took her hand and bent his head to kiss it lightly, "Tarumi Touya. Nice to meet you; the pleasure is all mine."

Honoka blinked and more heat rushed up to her face. She swung her head to the side to avoid looking at him. In almost a nanosecond, she blinked again as if a realization had hit her, but any previous thought came to a halt as black smoke filled the air. A few cracks split the air as the firework did its job. A few noises of panic erupted from students across the schoolyard, but no one moved. Last day of school meant last day for drama, and not a single person wanted to miss it.

When the smoke finally cleared, the group was covered in black soot. Honoka looked like she was mumbling to herself, but stopped quickly once the panic ceased.

"Where'd Touya go?" Ringo asked, as if he anticipated this all along.

"It appears he fled the scene…" Masato observed as he took off his glasses to inspect the black lenses.

"It was probably his fault. Is everyone okay?" Ringo looked to the rest of the group with concern.

No one answered since they finally noticed the laughs coming from across the schoolyard. At closer inspection, it was Yori and her group of friends that were cracking up from the firework display.

Honoka scrunched up her nose and stuck her tongue out childishly. Ringo was glaring at the group, since it was probably their idea to begin with, Kin was focusing on twisting her foot in the dirt with her hands behind her back, Yoshio's eyes were hardened in a glare, but remained leaning against the tree, and Masato was trying to rub the blackness off of his glasses and was oblivious to everything else.

"Well, thanks to Touya-san, I don't think I'll be able to make it to the outing," Honoka admitted in disappointment.

"Aw… We'll just reschedule for tomorrow – I need a shower, too…" Ringo sniffed and pouted, "Stupid Touya… Wonder what he got paid this time," he mumbled, secretly plotting his brutal revenge.

…

Touya had to circle the entire school so he wasn't seen cutting through the schoolyard. When he finally made it to the two awaiting girls, he brought his hands to his knees and panted with a huge smile on his face. "Operation, complete!"

Isae crinkled her nose at the light layer of soot that covered his figure, "But the tracker? You _did _put the tracker on her somewhere, right? That's the whole reason we used the firework as a distraction in the first place."

"Of course I did! What kind of ninja would I be if I couldn't plant a tracker? The firework gave off more smoke than I thought it would, but even with the minor setback, I'm still as badass as can be!"

"Whatever. Yori-chan will give you your payment _after _we find her location. Can you hook us up with a map?"

"I can do that, no sweat. But my brother needed his laptop for university, so I couldn't bring it. We're going to have to go over to his apartment."

…

Yori flipped some wet hair over her shoulder as she made her way up the stairs. It was pouring rain outside, and she was angry to say the least. Ami and Touya didn't seem to mind and Isae pouted over her now tangled hair. Touya was the first to reach the top of the steps and he knocked on one of the doors located on the right.

After a moment of silence, Touya got impatient and knocked a little bit faster and with a little more force. He began to tap his foot, and then bounce on his heels to get rid of some energy only within a span of five seconds.

When the door finally opened, however, gasps from the three girls soon followed. Touya huffed. "It's about time! Got your laptop ready?"

His brother inhaled deeply and exhaled softly, as if he had just awoken from sleep. His disheveled hair and half-closed eyes only proved that possibility as he reached up to scratch the back of his head in slight confusion.

The younger of the two looked back at the girls, who were still frozen at the doorway, "Well, are you guys coming or what?"

The three continued to blink in awe. They would have never guessed that Touya's brother was this _hot_. From his dull, dark blue eyes to his perfect nose, soft and inviting lips, the perfect build that was hiding underneath his loose shirt and sweatpants, strong and firm hands, all the way down to his perfect feet. So much perfection and they didn't even trash his hair. It added a wild look to his appearance, and all the girls were capable of doing was ogling at this guy before them.

"Uh…yo," the oh-so-sexy guy greeted with a confused expression on his face.

The three sighed. He had the voice of an angel. Yes – this man was practically a god.

Touya pushed his brother aside dramatically and waved a hand in front of their faces. Their expressions hardened to glares at his intrusion. "Hello? Don't we have to track a certain someone…?"

Yori was faster than the others as she punched him across the face, "Idiot! You ruined it!"

"Okay, _ow!_"

"Whatever. Hook it up, will you?" Yori snapped as she invited herself in. Isae and Ami followed in suit.

"Already done. Here," Touya sat on a black cushioned rolling chair in front of the only desk in the room while he rubbed his sore cheek. A gray laptop was sitting in an askew position, but Touya didn't seem to mind since it was completely normal for his messy brother. He merely turned the computer to face him and adjusted the screen to a wider angle. A map had already been pulled up before the four arrived, and they could see that it was a classic tracker screen. Everything was in green, a clear grid was lying over the map, and the target was blinking a lighter shade of green and moving quickly, suggesting that the target was traveling by car.

"Well, are you going to introduce us to this handsome young man?" Yori smiled generously at his older brother, who didn't seem to be paying attention. His eyes were focused intently on the computer screen to see if he could pick out any flaws.

"Him? That's just my older brother."

"Tarumi Takahiro," he replied lazily, seeing as how Touya wasn't going to say anything else. He didn't even bother raising a hand or throwing her a glance, but Yori didn't seem to mind.

"Takahiro…" she whispered under her breath to test out his first name on her tongue. "That's a nice name," she commented lamely as she stared off into the distance – drifting off into La La Land.

"Looks like it's working fine. Thanks bro! The street names are really convenient."

"No problem," Takahiro reached over his brother and grabbed the blueprints of the designs off of the desk. He may be lazy, but when it comes to his own creations, he's more thorough than Einstein himself.

…

Masako yawned as she stepped out of the elevator. Mello held down a smirk while Matt tried to stifle his laughs from the black ash on Masako's face. Her hair was knotted in places and she didn't look very happy.

Just earlier, they had trouble with the security system. Every time Masako's bag was scanned, the beeper went off. Needless to say the other two checked her backpack for anything life-threatening. A few books, a pencil, a block eraser, and a pad of sticky notes were all that she had carried from school. The extra two minutes were enough to pick at Masako's patience, and it turned out that there was probably a glitch in the security system (which Matt would have to fix later). It all ended with her stomping towards the elevator in exasperation.

The entire elevator ride was far from pleasant. And when they finally got to Masako's floor, she resumed her stomp out of the elevator. Before the doors closed, she spun around on her heel and pointed dangerously at Mello and Matt, "It's not funny!"

Matt couldn't hold it in any longer and he burst out laughing. Mello's smirk showed clearly on his face. Much to Masako's dismay, Mello's irritating smirk was the last thing she saw before the doors blocked her view.

"One of these days...they'll regret they ever knew me," she cracked her knuckles as she made her way to the shower. The only thing that was keeping her from blowing a gasket was the rain, which always seemed to calm her. She threw her bag to the side and it fell to the ground with a soft _thud_.

…

The necklace clinked as Kaida set it down on the desk once more. Frustrated, she stood abruptly and her chair flew back.

"When you're ready, my ass!" she grabbed the chain and spun around, using the extra momentum to her advantage by throwing it at the farthest wall. A crow cawed loudly as thunder boomed in the distance, but she couldn't care less as she glared at the piece of jewelry on the floor.

…

By the time Yori and the others arrived at their set destination, it was still pouring rain. Lightning split the air and thunder followed after, making the raindrops on the sides of the windshield glitter like sparkles.

"I am _not _getting out of this car," Yori declared, seeing as they didn't have umbrellas.

"Were we supposed to…?" Isae questioned quickly as she touched her knotted hair in worry.

"I was thinking we could take a look at the place, but this obviously isn't her house. I mean, look at this building!" she threw a hand at the building displayed to their right. They were sitting in a random parking lot nearby so they could observe from a safe distance. "Are you _sure _we're at the right place?"

Takahiro spoke up from the driver's seat, "The tracker doesn't lie. Your target is in that building," he pointed at the laptop positioned between him and Touya. The latter was holding the side of the computer so it wouldn't fall, and he was looking at the skyscraper with an excited expression on his face.

"Maybe she works here…?" Ami suggested.

"As what? An errand girl?" Yori smirked. She thought it fit nicely.

"Maybe Honoka's working for a secret organization and going undercover, like a special secret agent!" Touya fantasized with a huge grin planted on his features.

The rest of the car's occupants looked at him dubiously.

"That has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Yori commented sourly as she turned her gaze back to the building, "She couldn't possibly pull something like that off, anyway."

…

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

It was a rhythm that she had grown used to over these passed few months. This random rhythm was her drug, and she wouldn't be surprised if she died playing video games. Hey, she'd be cool with that.

After she paused her game, Shai walked over to her living room window and pulled the large, red curtain open. The wall window was being viciously attacked on the outside by the rain, and knowing that such a thin barrier could prevent such a powerful force from touching her made her feel like a Jedi. She raised her fingers and rested them on the glass, smiling as she felt the pressure of the rain in a rhythm. Her fingers were extra sensitive today since she had been playing her DS nonstop, so her sense of touch was heightened exceptionally.

"Boo."

Shai did as she had always done when his voice appeared: ignored the living hell out of him until he got fed up and left. She was being monitored anyway, and she couldn't figure out why it wouldn't get it through his thickheaded skull that she couldn't talk to thin air. Deciding to leave the curtain open, she turned around and walked to the couch, passing through the shinigami as if he wasn't there.

Ketsueki spazzed slightly and whirled around, "Hey, don't do that! It feels weird!"

The girl sat down with a sharp exhale and took her Nintendo off the coffee table.

"What, so you're giving me the silent treatment? Look, if this is about the Kaida thing-"

Just then, the lights in the room flickered, and Ketsueki responded with a surprised 'whoa!' The flickering stopped and Shai glanced over at the window, "Must be the storm…" she deduced apathetically. She was getting a bad feeling, and it wasn't a side effect from not playing video games for a whole minute or not listening to her peaceful Phantom of the Opera music, nor was it from the death god that hovered above her, casting a faint shadow that only she could see.

…

Masako had already looked at several files and came to the conclusion that there was no way on Earth she could find out who the killer was. Every nanometer of data she had gathered on every individual was scanned. Frustrated, she gathered the papers and shoved her pencil and block eraser in her pocket while stomping towards the elevator. She didn't necessarily have the patience to deal with it.

The Task Force members looked up as Masako entered the room with irritated eyes. She slammed down the papers next to L's computer and glared as if she was seeking revenge on a snake that had almost bit her.

"Can't. Find. _Anything._ So, here's what I was thinking. Unless you have a better idea, I want to take a look at all the households of the slightly suspicious students I've come across. If the killer doesn't go to this school, he has some relation to it, since he has to know a name and a face – that is, if we're going by the possibility that the Death Note is real and not some kind of gimmick," she was getting tired of adding on 'if the Death Note is real' at the end of all of her explanations. Thanks to Rem, L couldn't test it. It was quite bothersome.

"Already done."

"…Eh?"

L's eyes slid to hers, "I had cameras and wiretaps installed only in the most suspicious households you have come across. Time is very valuable in this investigation."

"When did you do all that?"

"Watari had done it all within a week."

"Good grief, that's impressive," Masako beamed.

"Yes, it is."

"So why wasn't I told of this?"

L's eyes went back to his computer, "I wanted to see how long it would take for you to suggest it, and I had a feeling you wouldn't find anything within the last week of school. So, I took matters into my own hands."

"Well, thanks for having faith in me."

His eyes went alert slightly at the sarcasm in her voice and mumbled, "I've always had faith in you."

Masako blinked and tilted her head. Maybe she had heard him wrong, but she could've sworn he had just said something that would confuse her beyond belief. She merely shook it off and headed towards the elevator.

"Oh, and Masako."

The said girl turned on the spot, "Yeah, Ryuzaki?"

"I would very much like it if you were to go down to the basement and fetch me some strawberry shortcake."

She raised an eyebrow. 'Fetch me?' Who says things like that anymore? "Why can't Watari go to the store and buy you some like always?"

"In case you haven't noticed, it'spouring rain outside. You wouldn't want to send an old man out into a dangerous thunderstorm, would you?"

Her eyes narrowed and she said in a lower voice, but still audible, "Liar, you're just impatient."

When she received no response, she headed towards the elevator. Masako stared at the buttons with a thoughtful face, "He said his sweets were in the basement, but there are two floors underground…" the brunette's tongue stuck out from the corner of her mouth. Since he said 'basement' she figured he meant the farthest floor down. So, she hit the 'B2' button and waited. Growing bored with the number of slow seconds that ticked by, she pulled out her Ipod and swished through the list of songs.

…

Kaida paced her room. She wasn't much of a pacer, so she got tired after a short while, but she still kept pacing. The crow was still cawing frantically, but she was too angry to care.

It was the necklace that was making her irritable. She wasn't one to have patience, but usually she kept her temper in check with the piece of jewelry. Why tonight of all nights was she frustrated with the stubborn lock?

Tightening her fists and getting fed up, Kaida glided stiffly to the living room and opened the curtain slightly, just so she could reach her hand behind it and bang on the glass, "Yo, bird! Zip it!" the crow obeyed and stopped cawing immediately, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that Karasu was trying to tell her something important.

…

The lights in the computer room flickered only a few times before completely shutting off. Small gasps of surprise were heard throughout the room.

Everyone could tell that Matsuda was grinning from ear to ear like a little kid, "Sweet, the power's out!"

Some of his coworkers were sending blind glares in his general direction and L's voice was heard shortly after, "There's no need to panic. The backup generator should kick in shortly."

…

_What is this that I can't see _

_With ice cold hands taking hold of me_

Masako hummed the chilling tune for the third time that day. She didn't know why, but she had felt a strange urge to play it over and over again. As she continued to hum, she scanned the room and found no sweets at all. There was just this huge generator taking up a lot of space, and she even circled that for good measure. Actually, it was the oddest generator she had ever seen. Aside from that, it had been obvious to her now that she had gotten on the wrong floor, so L's sweets were probably on B1 instead of B2. "Okay, then…onward, to floor B1!"

Out of nowhere, the power went out and she was left in a dark room. "Great…"

_When God is gone and the devil takes hold_

_Who'll have mercy on your soul?_

She took cautious steps to get over to the elevator, but failed miserably and tripped over one of the various cords. Her block eraser fell out of her pocket as she toppled to the ground.

_Oh Death…_

Her head throbbed from the impact. Sitting up, she squinted and tried to see in the dark. All of a sudden, a small spark erupted from what Masako soon discovered to be the outlet of the generator. The lights flickered back on as the generator came to life.

Masako sighed in relief, thinking about the spark she had seen before. Since when did generators have power cords if the power was out already? Did it just save up energy and feed it to the building when plugged into an outlet? She thought it was a stupid idea, but she shook her head violently, telling herself that she'd ask about the odd machine later. What did she know about machinery anyway? Glancing over at the outlet again, her eyes widened when she found the block eraser wedged between the outlet and the end of the cord.

_No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold_

_Nothing satisfies me but your soul_

A nervous laugh emitted from her mouth as she got up off the power cord and crouched down near the outlet. "Really, what are the odds?" At closer inspection, the eraser wasn't quite touching the metal prongs.

_Well I am Death, none can excel_

_I'll open the door to heaven or hell_

She thought quickly. If she pulled the cord, everyone would lose their power again, and a minute's worth of work would be lost. She could always just gently pull the eraser out of the tightened space, but what if she got electrocuted? Was that even possible with erasers? _I think erasers are made of rubber, aren't they? _a voice in her head asked.

_Oh Death…_

After about five seconds, the girl bumped her fist into her open hand when she came to a solution. "Alright, I'll just pull the plug and plug it back in. It's better than the possibility of getting electrocuted."

Masako gripped the end of the cord and pulled slowly. The block eraser was released and it fell on the metal prongs, but before she could comprehend what had happened, flames sprouted quickly from the outlet, and a huge charge of electricity sped through the power cord.

The generator exploded, engulfing the entire room in flames. The few pieces of wood in the area were slowly burning, and the surrounding metal was heated instantly. An Ipod sat a few paces away from the generator, untouched by the fire. The final notes of the song managed to creep through the earpieces before the music device was swallowed.

_My name is Death and the end is here…_

…

Takahiro gave a jolt when he saw the dot on the radar screen disappear, "Guys-"

A distant explosion was heard, followed by a mini earthquake that shook the car for a brief second. The girls in the vehicle let out small screams, and Ami threw her hands up to her mouth in shock.

"What the _hell _was that?" Yori asked, even though she was staring straight at the skyscraper. The rooms behind the glass seemed to come to life as red, glowing lights sprouted like dandelions.

"The tracker's gone!" Touya declared, using his 'epic' deduction skills to state the obvious.

"The tracker is in the eraser, isn't it? Why did it disappear?" Isae questioned, still shivering from the explosion.

"Obviously, it exploded in that building," Takahiro would've rolled his eyes at her stupidity if it wasn't for the burning building at a close proximity.

"What do we do? Aren't there people inside?" Touya's eyes were glued to the building, searching for any signs of life. The rain was lighting up a bit, but it was still coming down hard.

Takahiro leaned back in his seat, "You can start by calling the fire department!" Ami already had her cell phone out, dialing the number as quick as her shaken up fingers could dial. Takahiro let out a sound of surprise when Touya swung his door open and raced towards the skyscraper. "Wait! Touya!"

The freckled boy darted across the street, which had light traffic because of the rain. Pedestrians stopped to stare at the burning building in shock and horror, while others crowded around the entrance, though at a safe distance. Touya weaved through the small crowd of people and rushed to the two secretaries stumbling out of the building. It looked like they had to pry open the automatic doors since the power had gone out, and both looked frightened and surprised beyond belief.

"Are you guys all right?" Touya called as he raced towards them.

"Y-Yeah, we're okay…" the taller of the two answered. The younger boy pulled them along quickly, just in case debris were to fall from above.

…

Ringo's feet pounded the wet sidewalk as he ran through the heavy rain. He was getting tired, but he was nowhere near giving up. He could see some smoke starting to form in the sky a few buildings away, and a small crowd of people were forming in the distance.

_This feeling…I've had it for months. And this is what it all comes down to? _Ringo gritted his teeth as he pushed off the ground harder. _If only I were stronger…I would've predicted this…I could've stopped this!_

He slowed down as he neared closer. Soon, he came to a stop. Breathing hard, his wide eyes scanned the skyscraper from top to bottom before letting his gaze glide to the ground in front of him. His eyes narrowed from weariness, and the rain was making it all the more harder for him not to drop to his knees.

"I'm…too late," he whispered amidst his heavy breathing.

"Are you guys all right?" he heard someone call. Ringo blinked and raised his head. He had trouble seeing straight, but he could make out a faint outline of a boy running up to about two men that looked like they were having trouble walking.

"…Touya?"

…

"What the hell…was that?" Aizawa questioned. The entire room was alert after hearing the explosion and feeling a shake in the floor. Before anyone could even think of a reply to Aizawa's question, a W in Old English font lit the large monitor on the wall.

"Ryuzaki, the generator-" he was cut off as the power went out, and darkness consumed everything for a short period of time. Not long after, sparks lit the computer cord outlets and flames blew up the line of computers, as well as the monitors on the wall. L and Light had just barely made it out of the way in time.

"Ryuzaki!" Soichiro called, indicating the need for instructions. The room had illuminated due to the flames, but it was still hard to see.

L ran for the stairs, dragging Light with the handcuff chains, "Use the stairs!" he yelled back in a tone of authority, "The fire won't spread easily with these metal floors! Stay away from places that have outlets and leave the building as fast as you can!" the police officers didn't need to be told twice as they rushed for the exit.

…

Mello's boot clad feet echoed among the chaos that the fire was creating. He darted up the steps and almost ran into Matt, who had stumbled out of his room.

"Get Shai and Masako! I'll get Near and Kaida!" Mello ordered as he continued his flight up the stairs.

He stopped at a door and felt the doorknob as Matt rushed passed, the latter carrying a surge of air that went unnoticed by the blond. Mello's gloved hand retreated quickly when he felt the intense heat. His eyebrows furrowed with determination and he lifted his foot, kicking the door open with every bit of strength he had.

And there was Near. The albino was sitting in the middle of the living room floor, putting a blank puzzle together. Fire was spread throughout the room, but Mello couldn't get to him because of the wall of fire that stood in his way.

"Near!" Mello exclaimed, completely flabbergasted. He knew that Near could be calm, but in a situation like this?

The younger boy lifted his head slightly, but his eyes were still shielded by his hair.

"What are you doing? Get the hell out of there!"

"How?" was his loud reply over the fire.

Mello put on a puzzled expression. He was giving up?

"The exits are blocked - there's no where to go. You can't save me, now."

He honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he expressed just that, "I can't believe you're calm, even when you're about to die! How can you just give up? What about Kira? What about the Task Force? What about Shai, Kaida, and Masako-"

"Masako is dead," he said bluntly.

Mello's eyes widened in disbelief. He then noticed his shorted out laptop not too far from the albino. White headphones were plugged in and lying next to him, and it didn't take long for Mello to connect the dots. _Her Ipod…and the modified headphones…_

"Go help the others. You're wasting your time, here," Near ordered, still sitting in his awkward trademark position. He picked up a white puzzle piece and tilted it back and forth with his fingers, seemingly examining the blank surface.

"But-"

"GO!"

The blond flinched. He had never heard Near yell before, and he wasn't sure what to think of it. But he didn't have much time left.

"…You know, Near…I never wanted to win this way," a short pause followed, and Mello found that he had no more words to say. After all of the hate he had for Near over the years, he was surprised to find out that he had no desire to watch the nitwit burn, and instead, want to _save _him.

Mello shook his head. He needed to find Kaida. Giving the boy one last, long look, he summoned his voice once more.

"Goodbye, Near."

And with that, he spun on his heel quickly and raced up the stairs.

Near twirled a lock of hair around his finger, putting the last puzzle piece in place. His finger remained on the surface and he closed his eyes. "Goodbye, Mello."

…

Matt was seen sprinting down the stairs, dragging Shai by the hand.

"I can't find Masako!" he stopped when he reached Mello, who was about to kick open a door.

"There's nothing we can do about it!" he kicked it open with such an immense force, it almost knocked the door off its hinges. "Kaida!"

The room was covered in fire. Nothing could be seen except the rapidly growing red. Kaida was nowhere in sight.

"Kaida!" Mello tried again, scanning the room for any signs of life.

"We're running out of time," Matt informed quickly.

"Get Shai out of here! I'll stay and search for Kaida."

"What about Masako?"

"She's dead."

Matt's face morphed into shock as he stared at Mello with disbelieving eyes. Shai continued to give off a distant and hazy appearance and she seemed oblivious to the world around her.

"No time to explain - get her out of here!" Mello pushed Matt's shoulder to urge him onward.

He blinked, but obeyed quickly. Gripping Shai's hand, Matt dragged her down the steps. After about two flights of stairs, he turned his head to look back at her.

"Pick up the pace, Shai! …Shai?"

Shai's face was growing pale and she seemed to be losing her grip.

He coughed from the smoke, but kept moving at a slower pace due to the girl that seemed to refuse to go faster, "What's wrong?"

"Just…a little dizzy…"

"We can't stop now! Keep moving!"

She was going to mutter a reply, but she didn't have the strength. Much to her surprise, her legs kept moving. She knew she could only do so much with the little energy she had left.

After a few more steps, Shai felt her conscience slipping away from her. Dizzy, disoriented, and about ready to pass out, she couldn't go on any more. She fell forward in mid-step, feeling her life force drain away as her eyes grew even more dull.

"Shai!" Matt caught her before she fell down the steps and stared at her figure for a few seconds, trying to deduce the problem. Shaking his head and deciding that he didn't have enough time, he threw her on his back. He winced at her weight, but shifted her so he could actually walk. With the path ahead of him lit bright orange from the combination of the goggles shielding his eyes and the fire itself, he continued his escape towards the exit.

…

L and Light were the first to appear out into the open. Soichiro followed behind. Their faces were covered in ash and the ends of their clothing were singed.

Ringo and Touya were at their sides in an instant.

"You guys okay?"

"Anything broken?"

"Can you breathe all right?"

"Give them some time to answer, Touya!"

"They're giving me blank looks…they might be deaf."

"Stop being stupid! Are you guys all right?"

L and Light didn't answer. They were both staring solemnly at the burning structure, using their deduction skills to figure out who could make it out alive. The rain hit their faces hard enough so that the ash rolled off with the water, but they didn't seem to notice.

"We're fine, thank you," Soichiro let out a few coughs, and his usually slicked back hair was hanging limply around his face as water dripped from the strands.

"I think you should sit down, sir," Ringo suggested as he motioned for Touya to guide him to a place to sit. The latter didn't need to be told twice as he guided the elder to a safer location, but near enough to see the action.

The two young geniuses thought back to the people that were probably already dead: the police officers that had risked their lives to try and protect one another. Matsuda had disappeared during their escape, and Mogi had gone back to look for him. A little bit farther ahead, Aizawa pushed Soichiro out of the way of falling metal supports, the former getting the blow instead. The look on the dying man's face would stick with them for the rest of their lives, and it was hard to leave the three officers behind. Soichiro had taken it the hardest, being the more stubborn of the group and refusing to move an inch until the officer that was leaving insisted for the hundredth time on the rest moving ahead. It was almost heroic, but it wasn't even the end. Kira was still out there. The Second Kira was still out there. The _Third _Kira was still shrouded in mystery. Even the killings in America were ambiguous to them. And here they were, watching their headquarters burn to the ground with over half of the members inside.

"Ringo, there's someone else coming out!" Touya called from his seat on a low, nearby ledge next to Soichiro.

The Ringo's eyes darted passed the handcuffed men and spotted an elderly looking man walk weakly through the already open doors, "Do you need help?" Ringo offered once he was in a one foot radius.

The man coughed a few times, but waved a hand at Ringo, "I'm all right. Thank you, young man."

There was a flash of relief in L's eyes and Light opened his mouth to speak, "You contacted Ryuga from the security room before the disaster happened, didn't you? I'm glad you're okay, but how did you make it out alive?"

Watari was moving slowly. After all, he _was _an old man, and he needed to be careful with his heart, "I barely managed to make it out in time. The security room is no more…"

"Did you see anyone else on the way down?" L asked with grave seriousness.

Watari shook his head sorrowfully and stared at the building with them, silently praying to whatever higher powers existed that everyone would make it out safe.

…

"Just a little bit longer, Shai…" Matt knew he was talking to himself, but perhaps his voice would seep into her subconscious. He stopped abruptly when he noticed a hunk of metal in his way. When he caught a glimpse of a pair of shoes, his breath hitched in his throat.

Carefully climbing over the metal, he realized that the figure was Aizawa, and felt a small tug at his heart. He was dead - Matt didn't have to check to know that much. He vigorously shook his head to keep his mind focused. His only goal was to get out. He had to save himself. He had to save Shai.

…

Takahiro stood at the edge of the crowd in the very back, watching the scene before him unfold. The rain still splattered down on the pavement. Everything seemed to drag on forever, but it was all happening so quickly. The police and the firefighters weren't even there, yet. That's how quick it was.

He was seeing a side of his brother that he had never known. Touya was always the goofball. He was a perverted little freak, and all he seemed to want to do was get in trouble and participate in dangerous activities. But looking at him now, he was more than what he was at school or on the streets or even when Takahiro was still living out his high school life at his old home. Touya had immediately sprung into action, trying to help as many people as he could. And surprisingly, he seemed to know what to do, even though he would have his trademarked stupid moments from time to time.

He was acting the same as Ringo in this situation, but then again, he saw Ringo to be the type that would be heroic and set his needs aside for others.

_Maybe they're more alike than I thought… Is this why they're friends? _

Yori, Isae, and Ami watched the commotion from inside the vehicle, each one of them frozen in place. None of them were entering that chaos, that was for sure.

"Touya! Come help!" Ringo yelled as he made his way up to a goggled teen that had just come outside. An unconscious girl was slung over his back, and the guy with the goggles looked like he was going to pass out, too.

"Who are you?" Matt asked warily as he breathed heavily.

"I'm a friend of Honoka's. Here, set her down over here… Touya, get her a sweatshirt or something."

"I'm on it!" Touya bounded over to one of the pedestrians to retrieve a jacket. The crowd was surprisingly a polite group of people, and they seemed to be willing to help whenever they were asked for it.

"You should go sit down and rest," Ringo suggested, but Matt shook his head.

"I'm not resting until all of this is over."

Ringo nodded in understanding while Matt turned to survey the survivors. L, Light, Watari, and Soichiro had made it. It was a relief that the world's greatest detective made it out alive - not so great that the Kira suspect made it out okay.

"_Light!_" a shrill voice pierced through the rain as Misa barreled into the college student, almost knocking him over, "I thought I was going to die! The fire was everywhere! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Touya walked quickly to the other blond that had come out with the girl. His expression was unreadable, "Do you need any…assistance…?" the last word had wavered in uncertainty as the blond continued to walk, refusing to acknowledge the person that had just spoke to him.

Light simply looked at Misa, who was sticking to his body like glue. Her arms were wrapped around him pretty tight, so he grabbed her arms to try and usher her to relieve some of the pressure, "Yes, I'm fine. It's good that you made it out too, Misa. I'm glad you're all right as well."

Misa smiled brightly, "Really? I'm…so happy you feel that way!"

L looked at Misa with a blank face, but disbelief was clearly written in his eyes. He returned his gaze to the structure in front of him and murmured loud enough for her to hear, "Your friends are in that building, slowly dying one by one. And here you are smiling. You really are shallow minded…"

"Shallow minded? Excuse me?"

"Misa, did you not hear a word he just said?" Light asked, the same disbelief reflected in his eyes.

"Of course I did! He just said I was shallow minded!"

"Masako and Kaida are dead," Mello stated abruptly from his stance on the sidewalk. He wouldn't dare say the albino's name for fear that he was going to lose his composure. He was staring hard at Misa, who in turn, widened her eyes.

"Wait…what?"

Mello's eyes fell to the ground. He wasn't saying it again.

"Kaida and Masako…Masako…they…they're…gone?" it wasn't long before tears welled up in her eyes, spilling quickly over her cheeks, "W-What? I don't understand… Did they die in the fire?"

Light gave a sad sigh and tried to be as gentle as possible, "Yes," was his simple reply, and yet, the word held so much meaning.

"I-I don't believe it! I won't! You probably didn't even see the bodies; did you, Mello? How can you be sure? I bet you just left them there to die, didn't you?" she hiccupped, "Why couldn't you save them?" Misa let out an anguished cry as she buried her face in Light's chest. Light merely held her as he cast a glance in Mello's direction. He hadn't blown up in her face, so something must have happened when he was in headquarters. Maybe he witnessed a death, or maybe he felt guilty and everything Misa had said was true. Light scratched the second possibility out. Mello wasn't the type to leave people behind. Maybe he was just too upset to answer.

Misa continued to cry loudly, and Watari's eyes were closed and his head was lowered in a mourning state. Soichiro looked to the ground in defeat, unable to look anyone in the eye because he just might break down. Takahiro remained at his spot from a distance. He blinked when he finally heard sirens and narrowed his eyes in pity. It was about time they showed up.

"Hey, something's wrong with this girl!" someone from the crowd shouted.

Shai was lying on the ground with her head supported by Matt, but something was wrong. Her body gave a slight jerk and her eyes dulled even more, if that were possible. She grew paler than she had been before, and the crowd grew tense.

"Shai! Shai, can you hear me?" Matt checked her pulse, "Her heart stopped beating…"

Another person from the crowd raised her hand, "I know CPR!" she pushed through the crowd and Matt reluctantly, but quickly stepped away from Shai so the mystery person could do the procedure.

Mello's fists tightened. Everyone was disappearing. Everyone was dying. He was trained to not hold on. He wasn't supposed to make bonds during an investigation: that's what he had learned growing up at the orphanage. Do your job, stay as distant from everyone else as possible, and move on once the task had been completed. He now understood why Near and L were the way that they were. They never tried to make bonds - to make friends. Mello had always thought that they were just too afraid to make contact with anyone, but now he was starting to think that it went deeper than that.

His gaze moved from L, to Misa and Light, to Watari, to Soichiro, to Shai, and finally Matt. His bond with Matt always got him through the day. No matter what stupid thing he planned on doing, Matt was always there to help him through it. Even if he had the opportunity to escape the situation, Matt would never leave his side. Knowing that someone always had his back was quite comforting, he realized. So how did L get through the day? How did _Near _get through the day? They were always so secluded…so alone…

He was slowly brought back by an invisible force. The rain met his ears once again, the sirens in the distance sounded louder as they got closer, and everyone in the area was focused intently on the girl giving compressions to Shai. The remaining Task Force members had more worry etched into their faces, and shoulders slumped with a slightly heavier defeat. There was little doubt that Shai would wake up, and as the seconds slowly ticked by, distress was more prominent in the atmosphere.

All of the Kira data had been destroyed.

Half the team had burned to death.

And the real killers weren't a part of that half.

There was no hope for them now.

Kira's future reign on the world had been ensured.

…

Ketsueki sighed as he stared down at the survivors and the crowd. He was leisurely sitting on the roof of a nearby building with an open Death Note in his skeletal hand. A pen was held stiffly in his other hand, hovering slightly above the paper.

"Hehe, I knew you loved gore, Ketsueki. But I didn't think you had it in you to kill her in the end," Ryuk walked up from behind and sat down next to the other shinigami.

"What else is there for her to do? Kaida died, and most of Shai's soul lies within Kaida. She would've been trapped in her body, not being able to move or speak, or do much of anything, really. What fun is watching that?"

"Eh? What's this? The legendary Claws actually cares for a human?"

Ketsueki rolled his dead eyes at his nickname, "It's just kind of sad, you know? Besides, this Death Note was given to her by me. I had to kill her sometime, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ryuk kicked both of his feet up in the air, just for something to do, and looked down at Light, "Light doesn't seem too happy with his unplanned victory… Hehe."

"I don't think he was planning on half of the group dying, especially the girls…" Ketsueki sighed once more, "Well, at least these guys lasted us longer than most kids do."

Ryuk cackled in reply, "I hear that! Humans are so interesting…"

Ketsueki stood and stared down at the scene a final time. He shouldn't care, but there was that small sense of sadness deep, deep down inside. So deep, that it's mostly hard for any shinigami to reach. Ketsueki may have just gotten unlucky: the time he experiences the slightest bit of emotion just happens to be negative.

He waved off the small, but pestering emotion and laughed maniacally, "Want to go look for more sorry suckers to bring into this world?"

Ryuk stood as well, and wings sprouted from both of their backs, "Definitely. Though, we'll have to look harder than last time. This was a pretty entertaining group."

The shinigami flapped their wings and flew off into the moon as the rain lightened up to a drizzle.

Karasu's caws were longer and sorrowful as she cried at the full moon, mourning over the heavy misfortune that was about to befall on the world.

…

The boy jerked awake from his nightmare as sweat beaded his forehead. Blinking rapidly, he tried to recall what he had seen. The recurring dream was hard to piece together at first because he had only saw flashes, but as time went on, it had become more vivid. The crow's haunting caw kept echoing in his mind, driving on his fear. He knew that had to do something, and he was running out of time.

The black-haired boy stood up shakily as he reached up to find the light bulb. Once the cool object grazed his fingers, he pulled the string and the light came on instantly. He glanced around the basement and found what he had been looking for.

Scrambling over to it, he opened his Death Note on the cold cement floor and grabbed a nearby pen. His shaky hand was going to cause many klutzy errors since he had yet to recover from his dream, but it had to be done right away. He scribbled down what he had in mind, his pen gliding across the paper.

When finished, he set the pen down slowly and leaned back abruptly from the page so he could make sure he did everything right.

_Yori Tanaka_

_Mysteriously murdered on the corner of Aoyama Don and Roppongi Dori. Saturday, June 12__th__, 2010 at 1:00 a.m._

...

**_Edit:_ Okay, I've been getting a lot of reviews about whether or not this is the end of the story. *sigh* Let me be the first to ask this: Did you read the very end? Everything goes in a loop. Allow me to explain.**

**Explanation:**

**So everyone knows Yori Tanaka, right? Snobby bitch who was murdered in one of the prevous chapters. Pay close attention to the beginning of this chapter...Yori is sitting with the rest of group, laughing hysterically at Honoka's friends. Is this logical? Probably not. **

**It was Yori Tanaka's idea to put the tracker on Masako, yes? It was because of the tracker (which was in the block eraser) that caused the fire to begin with. Remember when Masako was trying to figure out what erasers were made of? She pulled the plug, causing small sparks (as cords usually do when plugged in or taken out of outlets). These sparks reacted with the tracker inside the eraser, causing a jolt of electricity to surge through the power cord. This caused the generator to explode, probably hitting the outlets and causing a chain reaction throughout the building. Outlets exploded, computers exploded, and there was no sprinkler system because the power was out. Touya said at the beginning that not only the firework, but the tracker was a prototype. It wouldn't be surprising if the tracker was slightly unstable, reacting more easily to the sparks in the outlet. The firework gave off more smoke than expected, Touya had said. Another hint that things wouldn't go well. **

**Also, a mystery person woke up from a dream towards the end, correct? He was freaking out over this dream he had, and wrote Yori Tanaka's name in the notebook: the one who started the chain of events by asking Touya to bring in the tracker. See the loop?**

**Now whether his dream was just his imagination running wild or if he really did see the future, you'll find out later.**

**So, now that I explained everything and kind of killed the mood, I'd like to thank you guys for reading anyway and let you all know that this story is definitely no where near its end. **

**-ESF **


	40. The Truth

**Notice: The following commentary includes, but is not limited to, M-rated content. Viewer discretion is advised. **

…

**Me: Okay, let's go. Commence Operation Clean Out!**

**Shai: That…is such a dirty name! CHANGE IT! For the fifth time!**

**Me: No! It's already been said. Thus, it is official. *nods***

**Shai: *facepalms, sinks lower in seat* **

**Me: Besides, maybe our readers don't have dirty minds like _you_.**

**Shai: That's what it's called, though…**

**Me: It has many different names!**

**Shai: Yeah, and they're all understood to be the same thing!**

**Me: Fine, then! Commence Operation Kick-Everyone-Off-My-Stage-Who-Doesn't-Belong-There-And-Throw-Them-Into-An-Abyss-For-Twisting-The-Minds-Of-My-Readers!**

**Shai: Uh…?**

**Me: Jeez, Shai. So picky… Operation KEOMSWDBTATTIAAFTTMOMR!**

**Shai: It's such a blessing that you don't own Death Note…**

…

Kaida laughed under her breath as she scurried from one alleyway to the next, putting as much distance between her and the others as possible. She felt like she was the mouse in Tom and Jerry. Matsuda would somewhat resemble the cat, but Misa wasn't much of a challenge to get away from. "Suckers…" Kaida smirked wickedly. Her ominous and mischievous mood was sparked due to some irritation for the police officer, who awkwardly pushed her at random times on their way to the store, only to get her attention for something stupid. Adding this to her dislike for shopping was a dangerous combination.

"What to do…" she sighed and dug her hands into her jacket pockets as she slowed her pace. The cool sensation of a chocolate bar wrapper met her fingers, bringing a smile to her face. "I'll save that for later," the girl said to herself.

Out of nowhere, a hand abruptly covered her mouth and a force of some sort pulled her back. All she could do at the moment was try not to fall over. Obviously, it took her brain a few seconds to process what was happening. When she felt a hand grab her wrist, the thought of being kidnapped struck her on the spot, and she was instantly furious. Using the abnormal strength she had, Kaida elbowed the assaulter with her free arm. A deep 'oof' was heard, and she assumed the person was a male. She tried elbowing him again, but the grips were still kept firmly around her mouth and wrist.

Kaida yelled into his hands a few times out of sheer anger and annoyance, and started to panic when she realized that nobody on the street was doing anything. Bystanders glanced in her direction and did nothing but raise an eyebrow and walk on.

"Grrrruf!" she was trying to yell 'get off' in her most threatening voice, but it came out as more of a bark from a wild, angry dog.

The person didn't saying anything as he dragged her to the closest alleyway. Now he had a good grip on both of her wrists. She struggled mindlessly, slowly but steadily getting more tired. She might have been strong, but exercise wasn't exactly part of her daily routine.

Kaida blinked, only to come to the realization that her jacket was being taken off. She was getting dizzy from fighting so much, and it didn't register that her mouth and wrist had been freed until the attacker finished taking off her jacket and threw it clear in the opposite direction.

"Aw, hell no! That has my chocolate bar in it! Who the he-mmf," she was muffled again as the attacker put his hand over her mouth and dragged her back once more. Only this time, he decided to speak.

"Hey, settle down. I'm not going to hurt you," Kaida realized that her attacker was younger than she thought. She calmed down slightly.

But only slightly.

"Ow! Watch the rib cage!"

Kaida opened her mouth and chomped on the guy's fingers, causing him to yelp. If she wasn't being kidnapped, she would have shown pity since he sounded like a kicked puppy. Even though she bit him, he didn't remove his hand and kept pulling her back. Struggle after struggle and they rounded a corner. They were deeper in the alleyway, and the blonde had had enough. Just as she was about to summon all of the strength she had to break free, the perpetrator released her.

Oh, but it didn't end there.

"Bastard!" she whirled around and threw a punch at his face, but he blocked it quickly with his forearm. Now that Kaida got a closer look, he seemed to be somewhere around her own age; maybe a year older. He had blond scruffy hair that reached his prominent blue eyes, which currently held a glint of determination.

"Easy, there."

The girl threw more punches: each of them were blocked successfully. Then she tried kicking him, which he barely managed to block with the heel of what Kaida noticed to be a red and black shoe. If she were to guess, his shoes were branded, but that was the last thing on her mind as she fought to either defend herself or teach the kid a lesson; she wasn't sure herself. Maybe it was a little of both.

"Hey! Quit it! Would you cool it? I know who you really are!"

Kaida's eyes widened and she froze. She instinctively took a few steps backward and stared at the boy. He wore a plain black t-shirt and beige cargos, so he looked like an average kid. The only thing that was off about him, like Kaida, was his blond hair, which was a rare occurrence to see in a country like Japan unless he was a foreigner.

"…What?" was the only reply she could manage.

"You work with Mai, right?"

She didn't have much time to think about what she was going to say, so she settled with a simple "Who are you?"

"You can call me Ringo Sasaki."

"Sasaki?" Kaida tested the name on her tongue. She could've sworn she heard the name somewhere before…

"And _you're _Kaida Amaya. Right?"

"Yeah, but…who _are _you?" she repeated her question, expecting a more in-depth answer than what she had originally been given.

"Just an ordinary kid from your realm. Mai and I - we have a favor to ask of you."

"From…our realm?" Kaida's eyebrows furrowed. Ever since L went all you-are-an-accomplice-of-Kira-and-I-will-prove-it on her room by putting wiretaps and cameras everywhere, she couldn't sneak out in the middle of the night or get by herself during the day to meet up with Mai for training.

"Favor? Hell no! You go get my jacket first! _Then_ we'll talk."

"I can't do that."

"Why not? And why the hell did you act like you were kidnapping me?"

"That police officer you were with bugged your jacket, and I don't think you want anyone listening in. And it's not like I could've explained the situation to you with those annoying audio devices around: it might've gotten you in trouble, hence the 'make it look like a kidnapping' plan. We can't risk going back to get it."

"But…my chocolate bar…"

"I'll buy you another one," he smiled at her brightly.

The girl looked unsure, but she took a small step forward nonetheless. She had a feeling that this boy called Sasaki knew several things that could put her in once of L's comfy confinement rooms if he decided to cross her. He knew about Matsuda being a police officer, so he had to know something.

"Walk with me. We need to talk," his smile had weakened to a more sympathetic no-need-to-worry smile.

…

Kaida kicked a rock on the sidewalk with her hands in her jeans pockets. "So you're from another realm? Like me?"

Ringo nodded. His eyes were locked in front of him, alert to any possible eavesdroppers. "Like you, Shai, and Masako."

"How do you-"

"Karasu. Mai has the ability to communicate with crows, which you already know about, and she then relays the information to me."

"And she tells you everything?"

"Everything."

Kaida blinked several times before replying. "Is…she from our realm, too? Mai, I mean."

"Yeah. She's my cousin."

"Oh. Well, what was this favor? And why me?"

"'You ask too many questions.' That's what Mai always tells me, anyway. And to answer your first question, you need to know some more information."

Kaida tilted her head as they walked on. The street was occupied by only a few people, but each individual was more than twenty feet away on either side of the pair, so it was safe to discuss such matters. "I'm listening."

"When you came to this realm, things got really jacked up. You see: during transportations, you expose yourself to the possibility of traveling through several different planes, including the spiritual plane. It's not a teleportation thing. You have to actually travel from one realm to the other. I'm guessing you didn't get the right protection from whichever shinigami was responsible for sending you here, seeing as how things are now. Your soul was made specifically for your _own _realm. Since you're not in your own realm, it's easier for things to interfere with your spiritual connection, which is more active on the spiritual plane."

"You're confusing me already!"

Ringo sighed, "When you traveled from your realm to here, you had to pass other realms in between. Between each and every realm, there's a portal. Rem calls them 'Time Gates.'"

"Yeah, she explained what that was."

"Right. Near this Time Gate, there's tons of spiritual activity going on. Your soul is unstable because it belongs only in your world. So it's like a chemical reaction, sort of. This also attracts…things…like spirits and karma and stuff. And somehow, someway, something interfered with your transportation between the Time Gates."

"Something like…"

"Like a demon."

"A demon?" she practically yelled. He shushed her using an urgent tone.

"Yeah. Mai can sense it," he looked up to the sky in thought. "I have no idea what happened. If I were to guess, I'd say that the demon tried to enter Shai at first, but failed somehow. Part of her soul was broken off and separated from her body, only it was then sucked into your body."

"Hang on a minute…Rem told us in the cemetery that her entire soul rested within me."

"That's what we thought at first, but later we found that that wasn't the case. The body is connected in some ways with the soul, but Mai is sensing something strange in Shai, like part of her soul is still there. Shinigami can't sense things like Mai can. But that other thing Rem told you is probably true: the Shinigami King doesn't like the fact that you continue to live. So watch your back."

Kaida stared at the sidewalk with a blank expression, "Great. Glad he didn't forget about us," she mumbled sarcastically. "So Shai's soul got split, and some of her soul lies with me. But why _my_ body?"

"It was by chance. Souls from our realm aren't meant to dwell in other realms and vice versa, as I've said. It's not compatible - it just doesn't work. When a person from our world dies here, his soul would disappear. Shinigami here say that all souls from this realm go to 'Nothingness' or 'Mu' is another name for it. Whether that's an actual place or not, it wouldn't matter because souls can't rest in worlds that they weren't meant to be in. Rem explained this to you before, right?"

"Yeah."

"Once a soul, or in Shai's case, a part of a soul from another realm leaves the body, it tries to find another tenant since it's original tenant can't be reached. If it doesn't find somewhere in a certain amount of time, it disintegrates and disappears. Don't take this the wrong way, though: souls that belong in their rightful realms don't try to find other tenants; they just go to the afterlife. Now if Shai were to die, part of her soul would still be with you. Rem was also right about her being a 'free spirit.' She'd be able to inhabit any body she wanted after the connections with her body had been broken off completely."

Kaida scrunched her mouth and moved it to the side of her face, trying to comprehend everything. This kid looked like he was the type to go off on different tangents, and understanding vague things was a hard concept for her.

"As I was saying, you just happened to be in Shai's close proximity when that part of her soul was looking for a place to reside, which is why it took shelter in your body. Your spiritual connection then got stronger. This attracted and developed different powers as you went from realm to realm since your soul was unstable, but strong enough to get these powers."

"So when I was switching worlds…I was picking up more spiritual things without meaning to?"

Ringo beamed and nodded in excitement. "Yes! That's exactly it!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Kaida frowned, and Ringo tilted his head in question, "So am I still 'developing and attracting' powers, even though I'm not transporting anywhere right now?"

"It's possible, but you're probably not strong enough. It's easier to absorb things in areas with intense spiritual activity, like near Time Gates. I'm not quite sure what determines which powers you gain, but I think it has something to do with the type of person you are."

"I don't know what that means…"

"It means," Ringo voice portrayed impatience and even more excitement as he neared the idea he was trying to get across, "that your personality traits and spiritual stuff is intertwining. The powers you get, I believe, stems from who you are. Like Mai. She loves crows and shiny things, much like yourself. She gained a connection with the crows. I, on the other hand, am always focused on the future; always thinking about the consequences of my actions which are usually bad." He added sheepishly, "…Even if I don't follow my conscience. Ehe… Anyway, because of this, I gained the ability to sense when bad things are going to happen. Get it?"

"Sort of…"

"We can also have sub powers." He began to get wide-eyed as he continued his explanation. "They're not as strong as our main ones, but they're still there. They can stem from the other parts of our personalities. Oh! Also, with strengths, there are weaknesses. Like, I have this stupid thing with apples."

"Apples?" Kaida couldn't believe how fast he was jumping around, so it was hard for her to follow. Not only that, but he was talking so flipping _fast _and getting so flipping animated that she thought he would've hit someone had that person been three feet away.

"Yes. I hate them more than anything. After switching realms, I found that every time I'm even close to one, I go berserk."

"…You go nuts over an apple?"

"Yeah, and not in the good kind of way. My powers usually go haywire."

"So it's like Superman's weakness for kryptonite."

"In a nutshell, yeah. Only, it doesn't always weaken me. I just can't control my powers. You look confused…"

She narrowed her eyes at Ringo. "A little."

"Let's see if I can clear it up." Great, another tangent. "My dislike for apples puts this huge negative energy on me every time I'm around one because the spiritual imbalance between the realms affected that part of my personality. I'm also a very impulsive person: I follow my instincts, which is why my powers act upon emotions. Since I develop a negative energy when I'm around apples, it messes with my powers, and _that's_ why I'm so affected by it. Usually, bad things happen when they get out of control because the energy I project isn't good."

"Oh…I think I get it, now," Kaida's curls bounced as she bobbed her head once to show that she truly understood what he was saying.

"But anyway, enough with the apples. That's not the point I'm trying to make. Now where was I…oh, yeah! Shai's soul got split and you ended up with the bigger half, which is why your spiritual connection is stronger than the average human's. Since Shai's soul still exists, even if it's in pieces, she can still live on. As long as neither you nor Shai die, she should be safe. And even though her soul is split, it's still connected - it's not treated as two separate souls. They have a small connection, but when I say the demon ripped it, I mean _ripped._ Be thankful it didn't rip all the way through her soul, otherwise, she might be dead. At least, her smaller half would be, but she would never be the same. You would still have your spiritual connection if she died, but if _you _died, she'd be pretty much useless."

"Gah, you suck! Can't you explain it in terms that I understand?" Kaida's eyebrow twitched, and she wanted to throw something against a hard surface.

"No, just listen. Shai's smaller part of her soul is with her, right? She can't live off of such a small amount. Because the rest lies within you, she's able to live. Mai told me once that souls weren't whole objects, and that they were essences, meaning that a soul can still be connected, even if it's in two different places at once - think of it like an invisible thread, almost. It's like the two parts are sending signals to one another. Mai called them 'vitality signals,' but I don't know. This thread is small though, thanks to the demon. Get it?"

Without waiting for a reply, he went on with his rambling, "And because the thread is so thin…it's weak. I've heard that Shai is losing her memory at a slow pace, which means that the part of her soul that remains inside her is deteriorating. It was triggered by Rem, who threw her against a wall, remember that?"

"I wasn't there, but she told me about it, yeah."

"For some reason that we can't figure out, the 'vitality signals' of her soul aren't being sent properly. That's part of the reason why you're working with Mai. You need to figure out what the problem is before it's too late. I don't know whether she'll die or if she'll just forget everything… Either way, it's not good, so it has to be stopped. Right now, in theory, you're the only one that can stop it. _How_ is the question…"

A few seconds of silence went by as Kaida let the information sink in. "Okay. I think I'm done thinking for the next year."

Ringo laughed, "Yeah, but that's not all."

"There's more?"

"It's about Masako."

Kaida grew wary, "What about her?"

"I'm sure you've noticed something off about her lately. The demon that ripped Shai's soul…inhabited Masako's body."

"What? You're kidding!"

They crossed streets and turned corners, not paying any attention to where they were going. The pair was too absorbed in conversation.

"Masako herself doesn't seem to know what's going on, but if she does, she's not showing it. The demon seems to be having a hard time taking control of her body. However, it still influences some of her decisions. That Sakura TV incident was the start of it all."

"You know about that?"

"Karasu told Mai, who told me. But anyway, unless she really does do things like that in the real world, it was the demon that gave her the urge to do such a thing."

"But what would it be trying to accomplish?" Kaida thought out loud. "At first, it almost seemed as if it was trying to kill her. Like when she went to the roof to escape from surveillance and she fell off the edge."

"It might not have wanted to try to take over her body since it was having such a hard time. If Masako had died, the demon would be free to roam the spiritual plane again. Now, though, it seems to be fighting for control. Mai can sense it, but that's not one of my specialties."

"So what am _I _supposed to do in all this?"

"Keep an eye on her. Masako and Shai both. Other than that, there's nothing you can do for Masako. Our main focus is Shai since she's the one that needs immediate attention. As for the demon…don't let Masako know that something's inside her. If she becomes aware, the demon might get angry or tempted and do something dangerous. There are other reasons too, but I'm not going to get into that now since they're only possibilities. No need to confuse you any more than you already are."

"Too late," Kaida had slowed her pace to try and ease her throbbing head. "Can't you do some sort of exorcism on Masako or something?"

Ringo shook his blond hair out of his eyes so he could get a wide view of the sky. "No. It's too risky. We don't know how much control the demon has over Masako. If we were to take her to an exorcist, the demon would sense his presence and know what we were up to. It might end up killing Masako if we're not careful. It'd be just as bad if we took her to an exorcist and managed to get everything set up, only to find out that the dude wasn't even an exorcist to begin with - you know people these days: faking it out for money."

"And there's _nothing _we can do?"

"Right now, no. We need to be careful and know for certain how to handle the situation before we go rushing in to try and solve the problem…or so Mai says."

Kaida inhaled deeply, making sure to get as much fresh air into her fried brain as possible. "You know a lot more than any of the shinigami I've met so far. How do you know so much?"

The blond hesitated for a moment before replying, "I've lived through it. I've had friends that died in this world, so it's all experience." Kaida replied with a mere 'oh,' unsure of how to reply. Ringo's hands cradled his head as his eyes rested on a fluffy cloud. It took the shape of a kangaroo being eaten by a huge spider, which made him laugh.

"What's so funny about all this?" Kaida's voice had a certain edge in it that caused Ringo to snap back to reality.

"No, just my mind wandering again."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Oddball."

"Yeah, so?" he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Kaida instantly got the mental image of Masako's childish pout, and she broke out into a smile.

"What's so funny?"

"Nah…just my mind wandering," she used her mocking tone to taunt the blond, who scoffed. "Oh, and you owe me a chocolate bar, bitch."

…

A cigarette played at his lips as he breathed in the nicotine and his eyes were closed behind his orange goggles. Once he had gotten all he could, he exhaled a large puff of smoke and pushed himself off the wall of the building he was leaning against, observing the backs of two certain blonds that were just about to round another corner.


	41. Dazai

**Hello, one and all. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to each and every one of you. I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I would've given you a double update on Christmas. I had everything typed up, ready to be edited. Those were good times, but…alas… *sniffs* I kicked my flash drive…and it snapped. In half. ;-; I lost everything. Videos, essays, projects, basically my life. Erased. Gone. *had no CDs to back up info* Sadly, this included future chapters. And notes. That I just. Keep. REWRITING. This must be a sign. That settles it. No more notes. I'm writing on a whim from here on out. Takes more time for me to plan than to write the damned chapters, anyway…**

**On a brighter note, a few of my New Year's resolutions include finishing this fanfic and to drop my procrastination habit. **

***thoughtful silence***

**The Chinese New Year starts on the 23 of January, so I think I'll wait to work on my goals. After all, can't feel motivated to do something if it's not universal yet, right? Right. **

**Ringo: You're kidding me. A month into the year and you don't have any of your 30 resolutions started? **

**Shai: …30 resolutions? What all are you trying to accomplish, exactly?**

**Me: World domination, for one-**

**Kaida: *jamming out on stage* Gimme gimme world domination~!**

**Me: *randomly kicks door, still locked outside* **

**Shai: I think Kaida's ahead of you on that one…**

**Me: I don't own Death Note. If I did, I'D GET MY STAGE BACK! Anyway, read and enjoy. It's a pretty big time jump (you'll get filled in on small details later). Feed me your thoughts and let me know what your New Year's resolutions are so I'm motivated to do my own. Reviews make me smiley! Oh, and one more thing: I will now be inserting 'Fun Facts' somewhere in commentaries from now on. Here's your first. **

**Fun Fact: Ringo's name translates to 'apple,' a fruit that he dislikes with a passion. **

…

Honoka's eyes lit up with curiosity as she poked the rice ball in her bento box with a hesitant finger.

Kin tilted her head at the display. "That's a new lunch for you, Honoka-chan."

A certain blond's head perked up at this. Ringo stretched his neck and leaned forward to get a better view of the girl's lunch. "Heh… Going on a diet, Honoka-chan?" he teased.

"Excuse you?" Honoka's eyes hardened into a glare.

Ringo sweat dropped and waved his hands a bit in front of him. "I'm joking…" he put his hands down and picked up his chopsticks, digging into his own lunch. He said with a mouthful of food, "But seriously. From cakes to rice balls? Some switch."

Honoka shrugged. "My sister couldn't make my lunch today, so W-uhn, my grandpa made it for me instead." She felt like smashing her head against a brick wall. She almost slipped up and said Watari. She must be warming up to them, which was a bad idea… She also felt bad about lying to them, but she knew it had to be done.

_Well, it's not like you totally lied through your teeth…you think of Kaida as a sister, and you think of Watari as a grandfather. _

The brunette would have scowled at her inner voice; however she didn't want to come off as a lunatic. _Hush you. _Honoka silenced as her eye twitched ever so slightly in annoyance. She still felt guilty and it seemed that the self reassurance only made her feel worse.

Oddly enough, she was happy to hear from her inner voice. It hasn't spoken up in a while which worried her slightly. It's not like the voice had a mind of its own, but Honoka _never _drew up blanks in situations and it was starting to happen more and more frequently. Her true self always had to throw in her input. The awkward silences in her mind usually disturbed her and caused her to go into panic mode.

Honoka furrowed her eyebrows in thought and poked her rice balls again. _Something weird is going on, here. My own mind doesn't feel safe for me anymore…_

Kin's giggling brought Honoka back to their lunch. Honoka blinked in surprise and shifted her gaze to Kin. "Hm?"

"You're poking it like it has some sort of disease. You've never had rice balls before?"

After a shake of her head, Ringo snapped his head up again. "Are you kidding me? You've lived in Japan for how many months now and you've never had a rice ball? What about rice? You've at least tried plain rice, haven't you?"

"Of course I've tried rice! Just never rice balls…"

Kin grinned. "It looks like your grandpa is a really good cook. What kind of onigiri is it?"

"Uh…" Honoka bit her lip, trying to remember what Watari said. "The…filled kind?" She was pretty sure that wasn't the description Kin was asking for.

Kin giggled and Ringo smirked. "Haha, no… She's asking what's _inside _it."

"Oh…um…I don't really know."

Kin took a bite of her own lunch and waited until she got it down her throat (unlike her hyperactive friend) before offering a reply. "Usually there's a small portion of salmon or some other kind of fish inside."

Honoka was right to poke the damned thing. Better yet, throw the fish to the ground and stomp on it several times. Maybe take a flamethrower to it and feed the ashes to the sharks, no pun intended. "I…hate seafood…" her stomach churned just thinking about it.

"It's not always seafood, though…" Kin assured with a wave of her hand.

"Hm, I don't know. Let's see." Ringo reached over and grabbed the rice ball, at which Honoka didn't seem to mind. In fact, she internally applauded his rash decision to take her food for once.

He inspected it carefully as if he were the judge of a food contest. Then out of nowhere, he opened his mouth as wide as he could and shoved the ball into his mouth. Kin's eyes instantly expanded and took up half of her face as she let out a soft and lingering 'ah' while Honoka raised an eyebrow.

After about a minute of chewing, he swallowed. He clapped his tongue against his mouth a few times to try and pin a distinct taste. Kin's shocked expression hadn't changed, and her mouth was slightly ajar.

"Well?" Honoka leaned in, eyebrow still raised.

"Nope, that's definitely grilled chicken."

She sighed in relief. "Good…" Glancing at her food, she guided her hand to the remaining two onigiri.

Wait.

Two?

Honoka's face turned sour as a realization dawned on her. Her head rose slowly and her eyes glared daggers at Ringo, the latter looking at her in confusion. The words that fell out of her mouth came really fast, but were still coherent. "Bastard, you ate my rice ball!"

"Wha…? You let me!"

"If I would've known it was chicken I wouldn't have let you have it!"

"But you didn't know it was chicken at the time!"

"And now I do! You owe me a grilled chicken rice ball, and you better make it exactly how my grandpa did!"

"I don't know how to cook!"

"Then you better learn, boy!"

Kin watched the exchange with a nervous demeanor and looked to Masato for help. He had remained quiet throughout the entire conversation since his nose was buried in a book.

"Masato-kun, why are you studying? You already took your entrance exams and passed with flying colors."

"Hm?" the spiky-haired teen glanced up at the mention of his name and smiled politely. "I'm going to be attending a university soon. The mind is a muscle too, and I need to keep it in excellent shape if I want to graduate at the top of my class."

Honoka stopped what she was saying at mid-sentence to stare at Masato in bewilderment. "You didn't even start college yet and you're already focused on being at the top of your class?"

"Why of course. A mind like this doesn't get brilliant just by dozing off into space every day."

"Hm…" was Honoka's reply. She began to wonder if that's how L kept his genius status: constantly training his mind every day. _Would he get smarter or would his intellectual level be the same since he's already a genius? Is there even a limit as to how genius you can be?_ She wondered as she stared absentmindedly in the distance. As Kin and Ringo questioned Masato further about the university he would attend, Honoka's gaze drifted unconsciously. When her eyes met Yoshio's a few feet away however, she snapped back to reality.

He was glaring at her. For what, Honoka wasn't sure. She held back a huff. _It's not like that's anything knew. He's been glaring at me for about a month, now. What's this guy's problem, anyway? _Used to his piercing gaze, Honoka performed her usual retaliation: a heated glare shooting right back at him. His glare got more intense and it made a shiver run down Honoka's spine. Yoshio Dazai was not the kind of guy you'd want to mess with, and she wondered what on Earth she could have possibly done wrong to irk him so much. If looks could kill, she'd be dead in two seconds flat.

"Huh? Bell rang," Ringo announced. "That felt like the shortest lunch ever. Can you believe this is our last lunch together?"

"W-We still have next year, Ringo-kun…" Kin commented with a shy smile on her face.

He shook his head in response. "Masato is graduating, remember? And Honoka might be going back to America, soon."

Ringo's words stung Honoka a bit. Back to America…it reminded her of the real world. The fact that she would have to go back to her real life eventually made her heart feel heavy.

"Oh, that's right…" Kin dipped her head slightly with sorrow grazing her features. This didn't last long, though. She put on a fake smile and directed it towards Honoka. "We should hang out a few times before you go back."

Honoka nodded. "Most definitely. We still have the whole summer to hang with each other, so no need to worry!" she paused and glanced at Yoshio, who was standing up from his spot by a tree. "Hey, you guys go on ahead. I'll see you after school."

Masato and Kin smiled her way and Ringo waved, heading back without her. Honoka inhaled sharply and saw Yoshio walking off already. She jumped slightly in surprise at his speed. "Yoshio-san!"

The boy stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly. The eerie glare she received sent another shiver down her spine, but she managed to not let it show. She summoned up the courage to walk up to him and look him in the eyes.

_He's not scary… He doesn't scare me in the slightest! _She tried to convince herself.

"Have…I done something wrong?" If Yoshio wasn't present, she would've punched herself in the face as punishment for letting the obvious fear slip into her voice. It was no surprise that his glare didn't waver.

Honoka tried again. "Dazai-san. Is there a reason why you keep glaring at me? I don't think I've done anything wrong, but if I did, please tell me so I can correct it."

A long silence followed her confrontation. Honoka pursed her lips, anger clearly portrayed on her face. _Fine. Don't answer me. Be like that, you jerk off. _With a "hmph," she spun on her heel and walked toward the school. _I don't have time to waste on people like you. _She had thoughts of stealing one of Watari's sniper weapons and shooting Yoshio's foot (she wasn't mean enough to shoot anywhere else). She smiled at these thoughts, enjoying the image of him writhing on the ground in pain and begging for mercy.

Honoka snapped her eyes closed and shook her head. _I've been hanging around Kaida too long._

"I hate you," Yoshio grumbled in a low voice that was just loud enough for Honoka to hear.

…

Near twirled his hair from where he sat on the floor, listening intently to Masako's conversation through his headphones.

"_I hate you,_" he heard Yoshio mumble. Near raised an eyebrow at this. _I wonder what would make him say something like that…_ Out of the blue, a piercing, high pitched sound came from his headphones, causing him to flinch. His hands flew up to the headset and practically threw it off, making a loud 'clunk' sound as the plastic hit the cold, hard floor. He held his ears protectively with his hands and stared at the device as it continued to make the screeching sound, his mouth etched into a frown.

…

The girl stopped in her tracks and spun around, confused. "Huh?"

"_I. Hate. You. _Everything about you is revolting. Your hair, your face; your very existence is ridiculously horrifying," Yoshio raised his head slightly so his eyes were more visible. Honoka felt his gaze practically piercing into her soul and had the dreadful feeling that she couldn't escape. She was rooted to the spot with absolutely no where to go, and it wasn't because his words sliced her like a knife. She literally _couldn't move_. She wanted to scream as a certain pain started to bubble inside her chest, but she couldn't even open her mouth to do so. "I'm sick of your presence, I'm sick of your deceit. You don't belong here."

Honoka was no longer paying attention to his words. She was more focused on the pain that was ripping her from the inside out. Several voices surfaced in her mind, fading in as if someone were gradually turning up a radio. They were whispers, giving her orders. She tried to decipher them, but she couldn't because they were talking too fast for her to understand. As the voices got louder, she began to pick out words like "kill" and "forget" and also "rip."

Finally, Honoka's hands dropped to her sides and her head bent in resignation. "Go away," he spat.

The girl's hands were now balled up into fists and her arms were trembling. She took a step back, then after a moment, another. After what seemed to be ages, the trembling ceased and her head slowly raised. Her eyes were no longer their usual hazel color. They were darkened and glazed over, as if an inner shadow enveloped her vision. She frowned deeply at the black-haired teen in front of her.

"Don't you _dare_," she snarled.

Yoshio countered, "Watch me."

A growl rumbled from deep within Honoka's throat. "You think you're so tough, don't you? You think you can win?"

"I _know _I can win."

"Then you must be deranged… I have more power than you and your little friends _combined_. So don't even think about trying anything!"

"You seem a little desperate for someone who has more power than 'me and my little friends combined.'"

"Hmph. Don't mock me, kid. My patience is wearing thin," Honoka blew a piece of hair out of her face in annoyance. "What do you want?"

"I'm giving you a chance to go back through the time gate."

"Hah! You called me up just for that? We discussed this last time," she crossed her arms. "I declined your offer and I'm not changing my mind. Besides, attempting to get rid of me might actually give you something to do in this miserable universe. Leaving without a fight isn't that fun for me."

Yoshio gritted his teeth in frustration, "Damn it! Why can't you go leech off of someone else?"

"Why do you care?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't."

"Then why so aggressive?"

"That's none of your business."

She shrugged and growled, "Whatever. Your case doesn't concern me, anyhow. But you better get this straight: the girl is mine. No matter how hard she struggles, no matter how hard you fight for her; her soul belongs to _me_. And there's _nothing _you can do about it."

Yoshio scowled at her reply while Honoka's eyes closed and her faint smirk disappeared. For a moment, she looked dead on her feet. After a few seconds ticked by, her eyes opened and she jerked as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Confusion was plainly written on her face. An 'uh' was all she could come up with as she stared at Yoshio.

What the hell was that? Why did she feel tired all of a sudden? And why was Yoshio glaring at her? She then remembered what he had said before her little episode.

She eventually decided to store the internal breakdown away to figure out later. "Why…do you hate me?" she barely knew the kid. Sure, she hung out with him and his friends, but he never talked so there was no actual bonding. He was a complete stranger to her, so she could only imagine that she was a complete stranger to him.

Yoshio didn't reply and just stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Seeing as how she wouldn't get an answer, Honoka raised an eyebrow. "O…kay," she walked away, deep in thought.

"Masako? Are you all right?"

Honoka was about to throw her gaze this way and that to look for the source of the voice, but stopped herself when she realized it was just Near through the headphones that she should really be taking out of her ears soon since she was heading back to class.

"I'm fine, why?" she mumbled. He probably heard what happened with Yoshio, but why would he care, anyway? The kid was practically a robot.

"Never mind, I'm just having technical difficulties. Please continue your investigation."

A question mark appeared above her head at the 'technical difficulties' part, but she knew that now wasn't the time to question him.

Yoshio watched the girl walk away and mumble to herself. Perhaps she wasn't aware that he was still watching.

"That was a dangerous stunt you just pulled," Yoshio turned his head to see Ringo walk up to him, a slight shadow passing over the blond's eyes.

"I had to make sure we were completely out of options."

"Well, now Honoka thinks you hate her!"

"I don't know her. She can burn in hell for all I care," Yoshio said.

Ringo glowered at his comrade. "Still as cold-hearted as ever, I see."

"I can't help it," Yoshio replied with a snicker. "If I have to destroy her feelings to get rid of that nuisance of a demon, then so be it. It's not exactly a hard choice, you have to admit."

At a loss for words, Ringo merely shook his head and walked back to class.

…

_Oh Death…_

_Won't you spare me over another year?_

A rough push from behind almost caused Honoka to topple over. She then realized that she had abruptly stopped in the middle of the hallway. _No wonder I got pushed…_

Honoka walked briskly forward, gripping her messenger bag a little more tightly than needed. There was something eerie about that song…and she couldn't figure out why everything felt weird. She felt as if something was going to happen, but she didn't know what it was and it was driving her up the wall.

"Honoka-chan!"

Kin's voice greeted her as soon as she walked outside. Students stuck around by the school to say their goodbyes, so it was pretty crowded. Some students could be seen leaving, however.

"Can you believe school is out, already? Time goes by so fast…" Kin wondered aloud as they made their way over to the tree where they usually at lunch.

"It does, doesn't it?" Honoka wasn't paying all too much attention. She was trying to shake off the feeling that just kept getting stronger. Maybe she was just sick and needed a break from the case. _No…I can't take a break… This is horrible, I still didn't find out who the Third Kira is! I have a few suspects, but-_

"Kin-chan! Honoka-chan! Hey, I was thinking we could hang out. What do you say, you up for it?"

Kin nodded joyfully. "Yes, I'd love to!"

Honoka shrugged. Again, not paying attention. "Sure."

"Awesome! What about you, Masato?"

"I have to study…"

"Great, so you'll come?" Masato nearly face-planted as he was once again ignored.

Masato sighed, "Yes, I'll come."

Yoshio remained motionless with his back against the tree trunk, though, he noticed a certain freckled boy walking casually towards them.

"Cool! This is gonna be so much fun!" Ringo bounced on the balls of his feet as he continued, "I haven't been downtown with some friends in a while. We can go to the pizza shop, Oshima's, the arcade-"

"Did somebody say arcade?" Touya slung an arm around Ringo's neck and beamed at the group. "I'm down for that!"

Ringo's expression remained the same as he regarded his friend, "Hey, Touya!"

"What's happenin' mah brothah," Touya replied in one of his 'cool' tones.

"We were gonna hang out downtown. Honoka-chan here finally has some time to chill," the blond pointed at Honoka who waved slightly at the boy.

"My, my, my!" Touya slid away from Ringo and stood in front of Honoka, giving her a quick scan from head to toe. "So you're the new kid that Yori-chan was always referring to? I have no idea what she went on about," he turned to Ringo and stage whispered with a cat grin, "She's pretty cute."

Ringo narrowed his eyes, "Don't even think about it, Touya."

He turned back and noticed a light pink blush creep up on Honoka's face. She scratched her cheek with her finger shyly and mumbled, "I don't know about cute…"

Touya took her hand and bent his head to kiss it lightly, "Tarumi Touya. Nice to meet you; the pleasure is all mine."

Honoka blinked and more heat rushed up to her face. She swung her head to the side to avoid looking at him. _Wait, what was that? _She whipped her head back to where her eye caught a glint of something suspicious-looking coming from Touya's sleeve, but she never got a chance to see what it was. Black smoke erupted out of seemingly nowhere and Honoka felt Touya let go of her hand. All she could see was his silhouette due to the smoke, and it was getting smaller and smaller by the second.

A few noises of panic erupted from students across the schoolyard, but no one moved.

"What's happening, Masako?"

It was Near. Honoka mumbled, "There's black smoke everywhere, I can't see anything. I think it was Tarumi Touya."

She stopped mumbling as soon as the smoke cleared. While surveying the group, Honoka noticed a certain black-haired teen staring at her with the same cold, hard glint that he reserved just for her. She would've given him a nasty look in return, but she was too busy trying to figure out whether or not Yoshio saw her mumbling to herself.

_Who cares, anyway? He'll never guess that I'm actually communicating with a genius through tripped out headphones so I can catch a murderer. He'll probably think I'm just crazy. _

"Where'd Touya go?" Ringo asked, as if he anticipated this all along.

"It appears he fled the scene…" Masato noted as he took off his glasses to inspect the black lenses.

"It was probably his fault. Is everyone okay?" Ringo looked to the rest of the group with concern.

After receiving a few nods from the group, he inspected his own clothes.

"Well, thanks to Touya-san, I don't think I'll be able to make it to the outing," Honoka admitted in disappointment.

"Aw… We'll just reschedule for tomorrow – I need a shower, too…" Ringo sniffed and pouted, "Stupid Touya… Wonder what he got paid this time," he mumbled, secretly plotting his brutal revenge.

…

"Operation complete!" Touya announced as he bounded over to Isae and Ami.

Isae crinkled her nose at the light layer of soot that covered his figure, "But the tracker? You did put the tracker on her somewhere, right? That's the whole reason we used the firework as a distraction in the first place."

"Of course I did! What kind of ninja would I be if I couldn't plant a tracker? The firework gave off more smoke than I thought it would, but even with the minor setback, I'm still as badass as can be!"

"Whatever. I'll give you your payment after we find her location. Can you hook us up with a map?"

"I can do that, no sweat. But my brother needed his laptop for university, so I couldn't bring it. We're going to have to go over to his apartment."

Isae's icy stare turned to Ami. "Man up, Ami-chan! You're not still moping about this, are you?"

"N-N-N-No! I'm not moping! I just…don't think it's what Yori-chan would have wanted…"

Isae crossed her arms. "We went over this. Before Yori-chan..." she gulped, "you know…she…she gave me tons of ideas for what she wanted to do before school let out. My gut feeling told me to go for this plan." She flicked some hair behind her shoulder. "My gut feelings never lie."

"But what about Touya-san? Are you okay with this?" Ami inquired the freckled boy, who smiled stupidly.

"Sorry, girlie. I don't care for morals all that much as long as I'm either getting paid or pretending to be a secret agent! I walk on the wild side," he added coolly with a smirk.

A vein almost popped from Isae's head as she stomped over and knocked his head in. "Baka! Keep it down, you're attracting attention! We don't have a lot of time left anyway, Honoka's leaving already."

…

Each step Honoka took seemed like a struggle for her. Something inside her was seriously opposing her decision to go back to Task Force Headquarters. _What's so wrong with going back to Headquarters though? Maybe something happened there? Or maybe I'm feeling this way because I don't want to face L after I told him I'd find the Third Kira for sure. Can't do that if today is the last day of school, can I?_

Her eyes narrowed at this thought and sulked in her failure. She identified the nervousness as not wanting to face the music and trudged on to Matt's car.

_Not only am I a failure, but I'm covered in black stuff. At least I went out with crackles and pops. …Snap, Crackle, Pop! Rice Krispies! _She sang the last part in her head despite her mood. She couldn't help it if the tune was catchy.

"H-Honoka Morishira?"

The girl stopped in her tracks and turned to look behind her. A few feet away stood a normal looking boy with a friendly face, but he had an unnaturally strong resemblance to Yoshio Dazai. If Honoka had to guess, she'd say he was a bit on the short side, and his hair seemed to shimmer in the sun (unlike Yoshio's which was dull). His eyes held uncertainty and an eerie shadow of a heavy burden.

"Yes?"

The boy flinched at her voice and rubbed his wrists in anxiety. After a few moments, he mumbled something inaudible.

"Hm? I'm sorry, kid. I didn't quite catch that. Can you speak louder, please?" Honoka asked politely while taking out an earphone. She pointed at her ear to help clarify.

The boy bit his lip and shifted his weight from foot to foot. He took in a shaky breath and now gripped his wrist tightly to stop it from shaking. "You…you go to this school, right?"

She tilted her head. "Yes, I do."

"My brother…actually…goes here."

"Oh, really? Who's your brother?"

"Dazai Yoshio."

"Oh," her face turned sour at the mention of his name. She just hoped his relative wasn't as mean as he was.

"My name is Dazai Aki."

Honoka smiled sweetly at the introduction. She supposed he looked friendly enough. "Well it's nice to meet you, Aki-san." He didn't offer a reply. "Did you want something?"

He gave a start. "N-No."

"Oh. Well, all right. Tell Yoshio-san I said hi…" she turned to walk away, but stopped in her tracks after hearing his reply.

"I am the Third Kira."


	42. Runaway Suspects

**With this boring chapter out of the way, we can get to the good stuff. Next chapter is going to be exciting. *devilface* While it's here, enjoy this long-awaited update. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. **

**Fun Fact: Ketsueki's obsessions are blood and gore. **

…

"…What?" Honoka stared at Aki dubiously. Maybe she had heard him wrong. Yeah, that was it. Before her stood a _child _that barely even looked to be in middle school. It was far from the original image she had conjured up: a malicious giant foaming at the mouth with an iron club at hand.

Aki's lips pressed together tightly and he twisted his hand around his wrist again. He remained silent, which wasn't what Honoka was hoping for.

She opened her mouth, but closed it; words didn't seem to come to her like she thought they would.

Luckily (or unluckily, depending on who you were), she didn't have to say anything because an earsplitting screech met their ears as a car swung around a corner. It was going at a ridiculous speed, which implanted such a frightful mental image of a hit-and-run that Honoka nearly fell over in shock.

"No!" Aki cried out. The next thing she knew, Aki was dragging her down the sidewalk as fast as his little legs could carry him. However, Honoka kept stumbling, unsure as to whether or not she should keep up.

She noticed that it was Matt's car, but the only reasons why they would be charging at a speed like that would be either a) she's about to die and they're racing to her rescue, or b) the Third Kira was going to be arrested. Honestly though, did they really think this kid was telling the truth?

When Honoka decided to focus her attention on what was in front of her, she was surprised to see a cop car skidding around a corner. They were trying to surround them. What was Honoka still doing, being dragged by this random kid who claimed to be a Kira?

This thought caused her to pivot her heel into the ground, causing the child in front of her to jerk to a stop.

"What are you doing?" Aki asked frantically. He tugged on her arm restlessly, trying to urge her onward.

"Stopping," was the only reply she could muster. She wasn't quite sure why she stopped. She needed some time to think, but she didn't have time, she shortly realized. So what else was there to do?

_Keep running!_

Honoka's face twisted into confusion as that last thought echoed through the walls of her skull. That voice wasn't hers. Nevertheless, she was being commanded. So on instinct, she bolted forward.

Aki seemed a little surprised since it was now Honoka who was dragging him instead of the other way around, but he kept pace well enough not to trip.

…

Near frowned at Mello's report and pushed a button on his intercom. "Masako, what are you doing?"

After a few seconds, all he could hear was static.

"Did she answer, Near? _Near? _Are you there?"

Near pushed another button and calmly addressed the impatient blond on the other end, "She didn't give me an answer. I think she cut me off somehow."

"We have a problem, then," Matt said.

"What? Where'd they go?"

Near's eyes narrowed and his tone turned grave. "What do you mean, 'Where'd they go?'"

Mello grunted in frustration, "They were right in front of us! Matt, did you see where they went?"

"No, I didn't…"

As soon as Mello began a new string of curses, Near tuned him out. "Matt, I thought I told you to surround them."

"We _did. _It was like they…vanished or something."

Mello's rant toned down a bit and Matt couldn't help but to mutter a curse word himself.

"What do you want us to do now, Near?" Matt asked, thinking he might as well since Mello was too prideful to take the albino's orders.

Near paused and raised his hand to his hair. "Go to whatever measures you feel necessary to find them."

"Got it."

The connection between Near and the other two broke, leaving the younger boy to himself. He glanced at the dice tower next to him and picked up a die, reaching out to place it on top. His concentration must have broken; he misplaced the die and ended up knocking over the tower all together. The clattering sounds were loud and harsh against the surface of the clean glass table, but he didn't flinch.

Instead, he sighed and said, "Masako, you idiot."

…

"What the hell…just happened back there, Aki-san?"

Aki didn't answer any of her constant questions as he darted through alleyways and rolled around corners. Honoka was starting to get dizzy from all the zig-zags. She also wasn't physically fit: she was gasping for air at this point.

"H…Hey, Aki…san…let's slow down, eh?"

He didn't seem to be listening. Irked, Honoka slowed down a bit. There was no way Matt could follow them through the alleyways with that car he drives, so he was probably far behind anyway.

Oh wait; there was one little detail she kept forgetting.

"All right, stop!" For the second time that day, she pivoted her heel. Her knee was screaming from the constant abuse – maybe she should have used her other heel, considering the fact that she flew forward and skidded on the pavement headfirst.

"I…I think we lost them. You're right, we should stop," Aki's face went from showing relief to panic when he realized Honoka was twitching on the pavement. "Honoka-san? What happened? Are you okay?"

She sat up with her legs underneath her, poking her slightly scraped cheek with her index finger. "No. No I am not okay!" she slowly stood up with her knees shaking. "You want to tell me how one second we're on the sidewalk and the next second we're on the other side of town?"

"You've never teleported before?" Aki tilted his head thoughtfully. Apparently all that running didn't affect him at all.

"Of course I've never teleported before! It's not normal! Now tell me what's going on!"

Aki put his hands behind his back and looked down at the ground. "Your name isn't Honoka Morishira, is it?"

"Tell me who you are and how you can do the things you do and maybe I'll answer your question," she didn't care if he was just a kid, anymore. She wasn't exactly a happy camper at this point.

"You go by Masako Nagawa, right? And…And you work for the Task Force under L, right?"

Honoka narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?"

"Because I saw you."

"_Saw _me? Saw me where? Do…you have the eyes?"

"What are 'the eyes?'"

Honoka growled in frustration. She wasn't getting anywhere with this boy. "Look, Aki-san. If you can't explain yourself-"

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Aki Dazai..."

"Hansuke?" Aki's eyes had a hopeful glint in them as he addressed the newcomer.

Honoka took a step back and looked to her right. A rather ordinary-looking boy was walking towards them with a smug smile on his face. Dark brown hair, a plain backpack tossed over his shoulder in a leisurely manner, a dull gaze, and a grey watch on his right wrist.

"I've been looking for you everywhere, buddy. Knew I'd find you here," his eyes eventually saw Honoka and he smirked knowingly. "So you're the one, huh? Let me be the first to tell you that you're one lucky girl."

"I don't know what you're getting at…"

"Really? You didn't tell her yet, Aki?"

"I was just about to!"

"Hmph. Well you've never been that great at explanations," the boy called Hansuke crouched down and dusted off a space on the pavement and got comfortable. "Go ahead, Nagawa. Have a seat," he motioned an empty space across from him, but there was no way the girl was going to sit on the filthy ground.

"I'll stand, thanks."

He shrugged, "Suit yourself… Hey now, don't give me that look. You don't exactly look like you're in great shape: just concerned for your wellbeing, is all."

Honoka's glare only intensified at this. She had no idea who this person was. He had no right to give her explanations when she didn't even know his full name. Not only that, but he had the nerve to point out her appearance. Sure, she was still covered in soot from the explosion at school (even though most of it wore off to just smudges and smears) and she was cut up from losing a fight with the pavement, but the least he could do was show a little respect to a stranger. Of course, she could be melodramatic on these thoughts. After all, she was still flustered and cranky that she wasn't given some alone time to think about the events that had just taken place.

"So, what all do you want to know?"

Honoka crossed her arms. "And who are you exactly?"

"The name's Hansuke. Just Hansuke. I'm too lazy to come up with a last name right now."

"O-_kay_… Well _Hansuke_… I'd like you to start from the beginning."

"Well, first I was born-"

"I meant the whole Kira thing, smartass!"

"Hehe, I'm just messing with you," at this point, Aki had already taken a seat next to him, and Masako leaned against the opposite wall, staring at Hansuke intently. "It all started with a shinigami. His name was Ketsueki, but his comrades know him as Claws. Ever heard of him?"

"I might have."

"I'll take that as a yes…" Hansuke reached into his backpack and took out a sketchpad and a pencil. He flipped through the pages as he continued. "He came to me one time…in the real world. His appearance freaked me out a bit, but I thought I was dreaming at the time, so I just went with it.

"The first thing he asked was why I broke up with my girlfriend. Of course, everyone was asking that. She was perfect. Perfect personality, perfect life, perfect everything. My reply was that she was too boring for me," he stopped flipping through the sketchpad and began grazing the tip of his pencil across the page without missing a beat of the conversation. "Apparently, that intrigued the shinigami. Next thing I knew, I was here in the Death Note world. Pretty nuts, huh? But then again, who am I to say that? You've been through the same thing."

Masako cracked her fingers one by one. No way was he going to get a confirmation from her.

"I hear from Rem that she told you to watch out for more people just like you, so I doubt this is a surprise. I'm sure you've met others, right?"

"No, actually I haven't."

Hansuke's eyes grew wide and he paused his drawing session. "What? You can't be serious. They're _everywhere! _You've met most of them, and you honestly don't see it?" she remained silent and Hansuke continued. "Wow…Ringo's gonna get a kick out of that one. You didn't even have your suspicions, did you?"

"Wait…is Ringo from another world, too?"

"Bingo Ringo! Care to take a stab at anyone else?"

"Um…well…" Masako twirled her hair in thought. "Maybe…Wait! Yoshio Dazai!"

"_That _was the most obvious one. I'm not impressed."

"Well sorry! Everything's happening so fast and I was just teleported and running around like I was some sort of Olympian."

"Right, right. I see," the sketching resumed, "Aki really is Yoshio's younger brother. You see, it happened like this: Ringo and Mai-"

"Who?"

"Ah, you don't know her, do you? That's right, your other friend knows her. Anyway, Mai is Ringo's cousin: she works in Aoyama at a little jewelry shop. She came here with Ringo a while ago, then Yoshio, Aki, and Yori got transported here-"

"Wait, Yori Tanaka?"

"Damn, girl! Quit interrupting! Yes, Yori Tanaka. She wouldn't use an alias, even though she was warned by a shinigami. She wasn't familiar with the series Death Note, after all. She came around here about the same time as Yoshio and Aki did; but while those two came from America, Yori actually came from Japan which explains the name. Kinda makes me wonder who transported her if Ketsueki transported the Dazais at the same time, you know?"

"Strange. I'd think Yori would be overdramatic and flip out if she switched worlds all of a sudden."

"Naw, she asked the shinigami to bring her to another universe."

"Why?"

"Hm…I don't know. Her thoughts were jumbled at the time, but I did pick up that it had something to do with not wanting to live with her parents anymore. It sounded like boring, teenager, angsty stuff, so I tuned it out." The question Masako wanted to ask was clearly written on her face. "Yeah, I can people's minds. Pretty cool, huh?"

"So I guess that's why you know so much…?" Masako's fingers fidgeted slightly. She didn't like the thought of someone reading her mind.

"You don't have to worry about it. I hear so many thoughts a day that I learned to tune them out," Hansuke's eyes were aloof as they swept over his drawing. "I was teleported by myself. I got the power to read minds because something funky is going on with the Time Gates. Basically, I got some spiritual power that emphasizes my personality."

Masako bit her lip and glanced at Aki. The boy's gaze was resting on the ground. "So…can anyone else do anything?"

Hansuke laughed. "I'm not going to get into all that now, but that whole teleporting from one spot to another was all Aki, here," he put his hand on Aki's head to emphasize who he was talking about.

"I-I can't control it that much, though…"

"Don't worry, Aki. You're well on your way to mastering it! As long as you've got me and your big brother, you have nothing to fear," he removed his hand and turned his attention back at Masako. "Another thing I'll tell you is that your golden-haired friend has more power than I thought possible."

"Uh…Ringo?"

"Try again. Gold hair, not blond."

"Kaida?"

"Yeah sure, we'll go with that name. Ringo got to her about a month ago and told her what was going down with you three."

"You mean…there's something specific 'going down' with us?"

"You bet. I'm not going to get into technicalities like Ringo, but Kaida has been going to Mai to train herself and learn how to control her powers. She can communicate with crows, and she's learning to use her shinigami eyes. I see that security with you three are getting tighter as time goes on, so contact between Mai and Kaida has been impossible. It seems that from the look on your face and the very loud thoughts in your head, you knew nothing about this whole ordeal…other than the fact that Kaida's spiritual connection was heightened, Shai's was taken away, and all that other stray stuff Rem told you at the graveyard. You know, like Kaida being able to escape fate and Shai with the memory loss. Here's the thing about Shai though, she's losing her life force slowly, and her memory is fading at an alarming rate. That seems to be the main thing everyone wants to find a solution for, since she could die any day now. You are the second most important issue we need to clear up, but…I think you might soon be our first."

"What?"

"I'm just going to be frank with this. You have a demon inside you who's trying to take control of your body. You follow?"

Masako closed her mouth and thought about it.

"Good, I'm glad you at least remember when you thought you lost your mind. The demon influences you in ways that none of us understand. You picked it up between universes. It seemed as if the demon wanted to kill you at first, but after that it seemed to gain an interest in you. Now it's going for control, and it's succeeding, even though you might not feel it. Remember when you got really sick after that fall off the roof? You were destined to die there-"

"Wait. How do you know about that?" Masako interrupted hastily.

"A guy can pick up some stuff. Know what I'm sayin?" Hansuke pointed at his head with a raised eyebrow. "Anyway, the demon was trying to kill that day. Even I don't know how your fate changed in a snap. Some crazy shit happens to people who cross realms, but maybe it's better not to question your luck. Makes it turn bad. That sickness you had – that life-threatening thing? It was positioning itself for control. It had to get your body weak enough to make it easier to get to your soul. Mai doesn't think it'll take over just yet, but I beg to differ. You're giving off the vibe that you use your head above everything else so if the demon takes control of that, you're screwed. I'd watch my back if I were you.

"I think you have a decent amount of time to figure out what to do, just not a lot. Wanna know how I know? That whole instance with Yoshio today: he used his voice to summon the demon inside you: he's got a knack for that. He even had a little chat with it. You were dormant inside your body, so you probably don't remember. The demon came up way too easily – that's not good. From what I can see, the demon _can _take over, or at least it's getting close, but it doesn't want to show its true colors yet, which is fine for the time being. We have enough on our plate as it."

"I…I don't…"

"Yes, you do understand. You don't know the details, but you know for a fact that I'm not bluffing. You just don't want to believe it. That's fine, I'll give you time to let it soak in. The last thing I'm going to want to tell you is Aki's whole deal," Hansuke flashed a smile at the younger boy as the latter shrunk away. He didn't seem to want his story told. Was it shame, maybe?

"I'd let him explain it, but we're running short on time. He's only about twelve. Cute kid, ain't he? As he told you before, he is the Third Kira. His motives for being this way aren't as villainous as you think. Actually, it's quite the opposite. He only killed so many people to save you."

Masako's jaw dropped and she stared at the two boys in disbelief. "But…that doesn't make-"

"Yes it does make sense. Or at least, it will when I tell you this bit of info: he's clairvoyant. He normally has flashes during the day, but his visions get more detailed at night when he's dreaming. Even before you volunteered to find the Third Kira at Aoyama Gakuin High School, you were still in danger. It varied from car accidents to explosions, all caused by a person that the Shinigami King deemed unworthy to live in this world."

"The Shinigami King is taking action against us, now?"

"Yeah. He's trying to kill us all, I'll bet. It seems that he wants to start with you first, since you have the demon and you're more likely to mess up the balance in this world. Aki keeps interfering, though. I can only imagine how mad that king is getting."

Masako didn't care about the disgusting ground anymore. She sat anyway. It was too much for her brain to handle in one shot. Shai was about to die, Kaida had more powers than she had originally thought, and she had a demon inside her? There was no way. "So…the Shinigami King has been writing in his Death Note all this time…writing my death and using the cheerleaders and American football players and any other person who deemed to be a bully…he used them as pawns…and Aki countered by killing these pawns before they got to me?"

"You got it."

"But…why?"

"Because you're one of us…" Aki responded quietly. "And Hansuke told me to…"

"_You _coaxed a child to kill? Why couldn't you do it yourself?" Masako's expression turned sour and her eyes hardened. And here she was starting to think Hansuke was actually nice.

"Hey now, I'm still a nice guy. It's not like I forced him to or anything. I just said that if he wanted to save you, he'd have to do it himself. I mean, he's the only clairvoyant I know of who can actually see your death, so it'd make more sense for him to write the deaths in his notebook. I see your mind is dwelling on the afterlife. The person who writes in the Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell. Sorry, but I don't believe in this whole 'Mu' concept. Maybe in this world, but not in ours. I don't believe there's anything to worry about. After all, people from other universes who die here disappear into oblivion, anyway. It's only a matter of time before we're all six feet under, might as well enjoy the time we got left. But if you wanna get yourself twisted up in a pretzel over possible futures that have a small likelihood of happening, be my guest."

"Aki-san has the notebook…where's Rem?"

"Hah, you guessed it right, then? She's floating around here somewhere. She's watching, don't worry. Just like Ketsueki…always floating around somewhere… And hey, you can drop the honorifics, here. None of us are actually from Japan, anyway. Not to mention, I'd like to think of us as friends, Amanda."

"H-Hey! You're no friend of mine, that's for sure! And don't use my real name, here…"

Hansuke took in a sharp breath like he had been hurt. "Touchy, touchy. I'm helping you out, here. And it's not like I blurted your full name. Who would ever actually believe that Sky was your last name? It's so boring!"

Masako gritted her teeth and flapped her arms around like she was some kind of bird. "Scream it to the world, why don't you? Who do you think you are, anyway? Someone could be listening!"

Hansuke calmly closed his sketchpad and put it back in his backpack along with his pencil. "Well if someone's listening, you're already screwed then, aren't you?"

Her fists tightened into balls and she glared. Damn, he had a point.

Hansuke stood up and tossed his backpack over his shoulder. "I'd love to stick around, but we're out of time. That blond's thoughts always give me a headache. Well, I'll see you around sometime, Nagawa, Aki!" he darted around the corner, and just like that, Hansuke was gone.

Masako wasn't sure what to say at this point. Why was he helping her, anyway?

_Because you're one of us… _This thought echoed eerily in her mind as she gathered the strength to stand up. Was that really all it took for them to kill random people? Unless Hansuke and Aki just viewed this world as just a bunch of drawings. Things would make a little more sense, then.

"So does he always show up randomly like that?" Masako asked the boy who was already standing (very rigidly, if she might add).

"Oh…only when he needs to say something. It's been about a month since I last saw him."

"I see… Well, I believe a thank you is in order," she nodded.

Aki blinked in surprise. "Oh, um…okay. Thank you very much," he bowed hastily.

"No not you, Aki-san. I meant me. Thank you for saving me all of those times, even though I didn't know it."

Aki raised his head, but dipped it in embarrassment. "Are…you proud of me?"

Masako furrowed her eyebrows, obviously thinking that was an odd question. But she answered it nonetheless. "Yeah, I'm very proud. Thank you for protecting me. But…"

"Huh?"

"I don't agree with you killing them. Can't you write a fate that just counters the Shinigami King's actions so that now one would die?"

"It's called a Death Note…someone has to die…"

"Oh, silly duck…" she called herself as she knocked a fist on her head in realization.

"It doesn't bother me, though. It's okay, really! They're just cartoons anyway, right?" Aki asked innocently.

Masako flinched inwardly. So she was right before. But what did she think about this world? Were they really cartoons now that she was actually there? If she was there…wouldn't that make her a cartoon as well? Thus making her insignificant just like everyone else?

"Honoka! Watch out!"

Before she could reply, something covered her mouth. Alarmed, Masako struggled fiercely, but to no avail. Fatigue took hold of her, and the last thing she saw was a figure trying to restrain Aki. Funny how that shadow kind of looked like Mello…

…

_Click. Click. Click. _

More puzzle pieces.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. _

More seconds.

They seemed to go hand in hand with one another. First the puzzle, then the clock. Then the clock again, then the puzzle. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that Masako would be fascinated by the concept. She comments on the silliest things sometimes, leaving him beyond perplexed. There was nothing remotely interesting about a simple beat, but she'd find something to say about it.

In fact, he was expecting her to say something right now. But when he turned his head, he realized that he forgot that she wasn't there. His head dropped down to his puzzle again, perhaps a bit lower before. Was he…sad?

He turned his head to view the computer monitor and sure enough, Masako was there. Hands behind her back bound by handcuffs and trapped in a jail cell. The atmosphere really didn't suit her, but what choice did L have? She ran off with someone who claimed to be (and was most likely) the Third Kira after Near had given her strict orders to stay put.

He thought she'd be smarter than this. Even if the boy was lying about being the Third Kira, he was still a suspect. When confessing, he used the name "Third Kira," which was only disclosed to the Task Force. He had to have been given inside information, and Masako panicking and assisting him in his escape didn't make her appear any less guilty. It was almost as if she was the one that passed on the information…

But on the other hand, she was working so diligently. Was it all an act? If it was, she had him fooled. What little trust he had for her was being questioned. Of course, there was always that spare wiretap that he had Matt install, even though it didn't work very well. He thought about it for a moment. Maybe by some stroke of luck, it worked. He made a mental note to check the recordings as soon as possible.

Coming back to reality, Near noticed that he was almost done with his puzzle, but he had a knot in his chest that he couldn't find a cure for. It had only started a few hours ago, and it was getting worse by the minute. It was more of a dreading feeling. Maybe he needed some psychiatric help?

As he put the last puzzle piece in place, he felt a sudden chill run through his body. He shivered violently for a brief second until it passed. Slightly alarmed, his head swung to the monitor.

And there she was, the same position she was in before. Nothing had changed. But even for a moment…why did he get the feeling that if he turned to look at the monitor, she wouldn't be there?

Near nodded to himself. He probably needed to start seeing Masako's psychiatrist.

A bang at the door leading to the stairway caused him to raise his eyes slightly. "Come in."

Not even halfway through the welcome, Mello burst through the door froze.

"Did you need something, Mello?"

Mello's eyes were wide and his stance in some sort of defense, as if he were about to be knocked back. The emotion of surprise was evident on the chocoholic's face. Slow seconds crept by as he stared at Near.

But there was another emotion that the albino managed to identify. He could have been wrong, but it appeared to be _fear _in his eyes.

"Mello?" he questioned once more.

He tightened his fists and straightened up, staring hard at the floor in front of him. "I just…I just wanted to see how the detainees were doing."

Lie. But it was as close to the truth as Near was ever going to get. He nodded and motioned towards a chair close by from his position on the floor. "Feel free."

Mello stepped back, flabbergasted. Then, uncomfortably, he walked to the indicated chair and sat obediently. He stared at the computer monitor absentmindedly, not even paying attention to the girl onscreen. The feeling he had had passed, and all he could do was wonder why, of all rooms, he ended up in Near's.


	43. Discovered

**Here is the next chapter. It's been ages since I've written anything, so I apologize for the horrible, simplistic writing style. It's also probably one of the most important chapters in the plot, which just added to the pressure of getting everything right. In the end, I just said screw it and splashed it on paper. Three months is long enough, wouldn't you agree? **

**As for the beginning of this chapter, I have no idea what I was doing. I just needed a filler to make this chapter seem a little longer. Not only that, but I tried to soften you up for the suspense ahead. I'm trying to get my interest back in this fic (though even if I lose interest, I can never bring myself to abandon the story, no need to fret) so it's easier for me to write. Of all things…I found myself writing…**

**Mello: Don't say it.**

**Me: A…**

**Shai: Tell me it isn't true.**

**Me: …Pokemon fanfiction. **

**Ringo: NOOOOOOO!**

**Near: You are losing us…to Pokemon?**

**Me: I'm hitting one of my pokecrazes, okay? I can't help it. It's an old favorite of mine.**

**Mello: Didn't you say you were going to write a Nabari fanfic, too?**

**Me: Agh, so many ideas swimming around in my head! And now…I find myself writing a pokefanfic late in the night behind closed doors…under my covers with a little lamplight... *sigh* Jesus, it sounds like I'm doing something illegal. **

**Near: Eternalsnowfox does not own Death Note. Please enjoy this miniscule, yet crucial chapter. **

…

The heavy metal material she was wearing clanked together with each step as she proceeded to the humongous double doors. The guards on each side stood dutifully at their posts, unmoving as she approached.

"Halt, knight," one of the guards to her right ordered. She obeyed. "State your name."

"Shai Tamaki," her voice was low and held a sense of nobility and purpose. The guards raised their staffs in perfect synchronization and thumped the floor, causing a rumble to echo throughout the area.

"Enter," upon one of the guard's permission, the doors opened outwardly and slowly, as if by magic. The light was blinding at first, but her eyes quickly adjusted.

The room was made of pure white marble: fit for a king, as it was. Once she reached the throne, she tilted the sword on her waist to make sure it was secure, removed her helmet, and got down on one knee.

"My king, I have returned from the quest that you have given me. It was quite the challenge, but nonetheless, I have succeeded."

Light smirked from under his crown and rested his cheek lightly on his knuckles. "Excellent. Though, I have one more task for you to complete before I release your friends."

"But _Liiiiiiiight_, you said that you'd release them five quests ago!" Misa, who Shai assumed to be the queen, drew out her voice in a whiny fashion, causing both Light and Shai to wince. She wouldn't look up out of respect for her king, so she sent an annoying glare to the ground instead.

"Misa, the threat that has descended upon the kingdom remains. Until it is removed and everyone is safe, we need Sir Shai to assist us. We still don't know who is causing all of this chaos, and the only lead we have is the Woman in Green. But I refuse to believe that a woman can cause so much trouble."

Misa huffed and went silent.

"My lord, permission to speak," Shai spoke.

"Permission granted. Sir Shai, please rise."

Shai grabbed her helmet and rose. "Forgive me for offering an opposition to your belief, but I feel that even though she is a woman, she is capable of much more than we originally anticipated."

Light stared at her for a minute and cracked a smile. At first, he held in his amusement, but a few seconds later, he gave in to a mocking laugh. "Sir Shai, never before have I heard those words come out of a man's mouth. Had you not been a knight, I'd have you as my jester."

"With all due respect, my king, I do not jest. I fear that this woman is a dangerous being and is worth our attention-"

"Silence, knight. You speak nonsense, and I will not have nonsense in my castle. Women are vastly incapable of performing any task other than housekeeping, unless they are of royal blood," Shai listened silently to his interruption and studied a marble pillar not far from her. It was rude of a subordinate to keep eye contact with his king, as it displayed arrogance on the subordinate's part.

"King Light, I would have to disagree yet again. Permission to explain myself."

Light pinched the bridge of his nose, surely thinking he was going to regret his decision. "Granted," he grumbled.

"You see, I am actually…" a black cape of sorts was waved in front of her as if it would add to the mysterious effect and she dramatically spun on the spot as her sword, helmet, and armor were tossed aside. "…a _woman_!" sparkles dazzled her feminine figure as she struck a feminine-like pose.

Misa gasped. "Sir Shai!"

"That's preposterous!" the king stood quickly from his throne and went wide-eyed at his (hopefully still employed) knight.

Misa, still recovering from shock, said, "But…you don't…_look_ all that different…"

Shai's eyes narrowed and her mouth pressed in a line. "Don't let the breastplate fool you. They're there."

"What's going on?" an exclamation point appeared above Shai's head when she heard a new voice. Turning around, she saw a severely hunched man with messy black hair come through the doors. A crown rested loosely on his head and the red cape he was wearing dragged on the red carpet. He was barefoot, of all things.

"L, one of my most trusted knights is a woman!" Light informed amidst his panic.

This man, L, put a thumb to his lips and tilted his head, analyzing the knight. "Hm…I see. Well, everything makes sense now."

Light looked exasperated. "What? You _knew_?"

Misa pouted and obliged when L shooed her out of his seat. "I had my suspicions."

"W-Wait a minute, I thought _you _were the king!" Shai exclaimed, directing it at Light.

Light smiled. "Well, I am."

"Then…who is this?"

"I'm the king, of course," L responded with owl-like eyes. He was perched in his seat like a bird, his cape still trailing down to the floor.

"Um…" Shai was wearing a puzzled expression.

"Well, I am technically a king. But for today, I am the queen…" his last sentence was dragged out in annoyance as he glanced at Light. The latter shrugged.

"Come on, L. I won Rock, Paper, Scissors fair and square. I can't help it if I'm god-like in everything I do."

L gave a small smile. "Yes, yes you are."

Light smiled brightly back and held out his hand, of which L took. At the contact, L blushed slightly and dipped his head. Light obviously found his shyness adorable since his smile got wider.

Shai's mouth dropped as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Misa had her arms crossed and she glared at L with pure jealousy.

As if he had been restraining himself from doing so earlier, Light's other hand reached for L's face and gently tilted it upward, earning some heavy blushing on L's part. Shai watched in horror as the space between the two men began to close.

"WAIT! Stop everything! I'm all for same-sex marriage, but this pairing just isn't right!" Shai desperately tried to explain. Misa nodded her head vigorously in agreement and seconded the outburst with a 'yeah!'

"Well Shai, I would've taken your opinion into consideration, but as you've recently revealed, you are a woman. Thus, your thoughts have no value," Light stated simply. He turned to L and smiled contently, leaning in once more. Their lips were mere inches apart, centimeters, millimeters…!

"NOOOOOOOO!" Shai awoke with a jolt and swung her head from side to side, taking in her surroundings. She had fallen asleep on her couch while playing Playstation again. She shivered at the thought of her most recent dream. "Okay, no more frozen mochas during night gaming sessions…"

After glancing at the clock, the brunette rose from the couch and went to take a long hot shower.

Everyone was gathered in the computer room except for Misa and a very pale-faced Shai walked in: still recovering from her dream, no doubt. She glanced up at the monitors on the wall, and she still couldn't believe what she saw. Masako, Kaida, and this new kid, Aki Dazai. Each in his own legitimate jail cell. Something in L must've snapped…he was really laying down the law this time. They've disobeyed L on several occasions, but it all ended with Masako disappearing with the supposed Third Kira. Since Kaida fled from Matsuda nearly a month before, L obviously thought there was some sort of connection between the two incidents. The possibilities of what could've gone on in their absences were endless.

Shai didn't know what was going on. All she knew was that this boy looked really scared. To put a _child _in confinement? Needless to say, this got a rise out of the rest of the team, Light especially. Explanations were demanded, but L only stated the obvious. He knew more than he was saying, and Shai was certain of it.

No one greeted her as she sat on the couch next to Matt, the latter playing his DS as usual. Things were eerily quiet these last few days, considering the recent events.

"Ryuzaki, I can't find this Aki Dazai in any records. The name doesn't exist," Aizawa stated with a sour expression.

"Of course he would give us a fake name. He's scared," Soichiro pointed out.

Light leaned back in his chair forcefully and heaved a sigh. "That can't be the reason. When we asked Masako what his name was, she replied with the name the boy gave us. So if he lied to her before he knew he was going to be arrested…"

"But why would he need to lie to Masako about his name? He's the Third Kira – who would he have to worry about?" Matsuda questioned.

"Maybe he fears the real Kira?"

"No," L interrupted Light, who looked at him quizzically. "There's something else going on…none of this fits together quite right. What's most puzzling is why he would tell Masako, a complete stranger, that he is the Third Kira. The only connection he has with her is his brother: this…Yoshio Dazai, but locating him is proving to be rather difficult considering the fact that every trace of there ever being a Yoshio Dazai at Aoyama Gakuin High School has been mysteriously erased from the database," his voice grew sharper as the speech went on, obviously irritated by how well Yoshio covered his tracks.

"But if we still had Masako working on the case, we could figure that out through her other friends!" Matsuda was now standing with determined eyes and balled-up fists.

"We can't take the risk," replied L in an authoritative tone. "I've let them have their freedoms in the past, but this has gone too far. This method is meant for the convenience of making time for us to find the _real _threat: the original Kira."

"So you're only putting them in confinement for _convenience_? How is that fair?" Soichiro's eyes hardened and L turned to look him in the eye.

"I _have_ been fair. I've given them several chances to prove their innocence, and on _every single _account, something went awry. Mr. Yagami, I believe we've had this discussion already."

Soichiro's eyes went downcast and he glanced at the monitors. "You're right, but I can't help but to feel as if we're going to extremes."

Shai shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wondering if anyone noticed that she was still in the room. They sure were talking as if she wasn't there.

"Ryuzaki…there's something else," Aizawa's fingers clenched the papers in his hands tightly and turned to look at Shai. "After I found out that Aki Dazai didn't exist, I looked through the network. I guess I wasn't surprised to find out that the names Shai Tamaki, Kaida Amaya, and Masako Nagawa didn't exist either."

Matsuda nearly choked on his coffee. "What?"

Mogi and Soichiro had surprised looks on their faces, and Soichiro said, "Shai? Is that true?"

The girl in question resisted the urge to glare at Aizawa's predictable, yet agitating move and opened her mouth to respond, but L beat her to it.

"Are you really all that surprised?"

Soichiro pulled his eyebrows together. "Ryuzaki…?"

"Think back to when I introduced you to Masako. She told you it would be unwise to share your real name so it would serve as protection from Kira. Shortly after, she introduced herself as Masako Nagawa. To contradict herself so quickly, with as smart as she is? Out of the question."

"You knew this whole time…" Matsuda commented.

Light remained oddly silent. He was listening intently to the conversation and his eyes were fixed on the screens in front of him.

Shai noticed this and wondered what he was thinking. He should've seen the alias thing coming – she didn't think it was that hard to figure out.

Aizawa glowered at Shai, "They lied about their names, so what else are they lying about?"

Shai would have commented on how everyone was being rude for talking like she wasn't even there, but she didn't want to participate in the discussion. All she could do was claim her innocence and state her background story all over again, but it's not like they would believe her now.

Matt stood up from the sofa, and Shai gave a start. She had completely forgotten that he was sitting there. She had also forgotten that Near and Mello were in the room as well. Near was stacking his useless cards and Mello was leaning against a wall not far from the albino with his arms crossed. They had been carefully listening to the conversation, not even muttering a word (very odd for Mello).

Matt put his Nintendo in his pocket and grabbed Shai's hand, pulling her off the couch and heading for the elevator.

"Matt! Where are you going with her?" asked Soichiro.

Aizawa followed up with "We're not done here!"

Near had gathered up his cards and followed after Mello, who turned back at the Task Force. "We'll try to figure out what's going on. This way, the rest of you can focus on catching the real Kira."

L narrowed his usually wide eyes. Light noticed, but didn't say anything.

…

Shai curled her lips inward a bit and was still blushing when they reached Mello's floor since Matt didn't let go of her hand, even for the elevator ride. But hey, she wasn't complaining.

They filed into the room in silence. Near set his cards down on the table and pulled himself up on an armchair in his trademark position while Mello took another armchair. Matt guided Shai to the sofa and released her hand (much to Shai's disappointment), walking to the other side of the coffee table to sit on an identical sofa. They were all in a circle, which made Shai kind of nervous since she was easily in their line of vision, allowing all three of them to stare at her with calculating eyes and pile on the pressure: big time.

She held her head up high, however. Hopefully, they wouldn't get the best of her. "Why did you-"

"We know, Shai," Mello informed in a dangerous tone.

"You…know what?"

"Everything," the way Matt had said that sent shivers down her spine.

"What kind of everything?"

"Don't play dumb!" Mello scolded.

"Well it would certainly help if you told me what you were talking about!"

"I'm talking about where you really came from! So when were you going to tell us? After your soul rotted away in your corpse? After Masako was taken over by the demon? What about after Kaida started talking to some random birds in the sky?" Mello had thrown himself forward in his seat during his questioning, causing Shai to flinch. She was never told about a demon, but she was even more shocked as to how he had figured everything out. What the hell was going on?

"Mello, chill out for a bit and let her talk," Matt removed his orange goggles from his eyes and let them hang around his neck.

A hint of sadness could be detected as Mello said, "Were you going to tell us right before you had to go back to your own universe? Some goodbye that would've been!"

"And you're telling me you actually _believe_ that story?" Shai countered as she slowly inched away from Mello.

"A month ago," Matt began, "We asked Misa for a little favor. Our goal was to figure out why Kaida kept running off in the middle of the night and, well, running off in general. L had already given her strict orders to stay under surveillance, so the question we were asking was: Why go to big lengths to get only a few hours of freedom when the consequences were severe? Pretty suspicious. So we had Misa ask for Kaida specifically to go shopping with her and Matsuda."

At this moment, Mello had calmed down. "Yeah, and with those brain-dead idiots, Kaida was sure to get away."

"We had Matsuda bug her jacket and she escaped, just like we hoped for. What we _didn't _plan on was some other guy coming along and forcing her to leave the jacket behind. Our receivers started to pick up a bunch of static, but since I was close enough to hear, I gathered that she might've been mugged. After that, I got out of the car and followed her."

Shai remained silent as she listened. This happened a month ago…and he knew about them the entire time? Well, that would explain the strange looks Matt would occasionally give her…

"Turns out, the guy didn't mug her. He only gave her a hassle to get rid of the jacket, meaning he knew about the transmitters. And after all of that…"

"…he explained a lot of things to Kaida. Things that you've neglected to mention," Mello added sourly as his arms crossed tightly and his figure leaned roughly against the back of the armchair. He reminded Shai of a child taking a temper tantrum, and wondered what prevented him from continuing his outburst. Maybe it was a warning glance from Near? She probably would've picked it up from her peripheral, but that kid was just too hard to read, so why bother?

"Come on. This is Kaida you're talking about. She was probably just messing with your heads," Shai had no idea why she was still trying to keep the S.U.D. under wraps. Originally, it was because she knew they wouldn't believe her and L would hold her for questioning. She didn't want to be tossed in confinement with Kaida and Masako, after all. _Somebody _had to save them – the difficulty of the situation being how she was going to do that.

"We…considered that at first," started Matt, "but then this whole Third Kira thing started with Masako… You see, we didn't have just the headphones to listen in on. Near had me install a backup just in case something like this happened: it's attached inside the knot of the bow on the front of her uniform. Anyway, this guy showed up and told her similar things that the other guy told Kaida."

"L thinks there's a connection between Kaida's and Masako's disappearance, which explains why L put them in confinement," Mello finished with a glare.

Shai bounced her legs up and down as she stared with dazed eyes at the coffee table in front of her, hands folded on her lap. What else could she do? If they heard the conversations, they must've recorded everything. "Did you share this with the rest of the Task Force?"

Matt responded, "No. They probably wouldn't believe you, and L might throw you in confinement and demand the 'truth.' This is all between the three of us, as it has been for the last month."

Shai was surprised that Mello had kept his mouth shut around L. Maybe…there was more to him than she thought? She mentally shook her stray questions away, however. She needed to focus on the important things right now. "What're you asking of me?"

"We want to hear what you have to say to all of this," Near spoke for the first time during the discussion. His gaze was fixed on the obviously uncomfortable girl and his fingers were playing with his hair in thought.

Shai frowned and narrowed her eyes. She didn't have a choice. Not like it mattered, anyway. "Is the room bugged?"

"Might be. Might not be," Mello replied gruffly while his glare lessened upon hearing that she might give them some feedback.

"No. It's not," Near had completely ignored Mello, the latter taking this to heart.

"Why the hell-"

"Please, Mello. Don't make her nervous. She's willing to give us her cooperation, so the least we can do is reassure her that we're not being monitored."

Shai blinked at this. She was never a fan of Near, but for once, she thanked the higher powers that he was present. Otherwise Mello would have treated her like a hostage, and Matt probably would've allowed that.

The blond huffed and settled for glaring at Shai again while using the same intensity he had been for the last few minutes.

"All right…I don't know what you've heard from Masako and Kaida's side, but this is what happened…"

And so, she told them almost everything. She started with how this was all just a television show and that she was in another version of the plotline. She didn't tell them how the original story went, and refused to say anything even after Mello's outbursts. She continued to tell them of how she came across the Death Note, their transition from one realm to the next, the hotel, and the meetings with the various shinigami from time to time. The girl didn't want to reveal that Light was Kira, so she had to change her story a bit when she reminisced on the first day she unofficially met Light Yagami: the whole reason our three heroines were in the Task Force to begin with. After that, there wasn't really all that much to explain.

"You guys seem to know about the issues that were created when we went from one universe to the other, so I won't go into that. Our main focus is trying to solve those problems," the brunette drew in a deep breath and struggled to prevent her eyes from snapping shut in anticipation. Silence had followed her explanation. She was beyond uncomfortable. There was nothing she could've done besides telling the truth (sort of). The Wammy kids had figured it out, and she was done for anyway. But would they believe her?

Matt took a deep breath and was about to speak and Shai noticed a particular look on Mello's face. She braced herself for the rapid fire questions from the chocoholic, but a phone's beeper went off to signal a call. Matt pulled it out of his pocket and answered hesitantly. "Ryuzaki?" he listened for a bit before his eyes visibly widened. "We'll be right down." He pushed a button and stood up from the couch quickly.

"What did he say?" Mello asked urgently, rising from his armchair.

Matt looked at Shai with the oddest mix of confusion and pity. "It's Masako. She went berserk and escaped from confinement."


	44. Hurt

**Me: Konnichiwa, minna~ Got another chapter up for ya after my agonizingly long quest to expand my vocabulary. Let me warn you, it's all drama and no play. Prepare for a headache.**

**Kin: I-If you get scared easily…d-don't read the ending before you go to bed…**

**Ringo: Come on, Kin-chan. You're scared of everything! I don't think it was that bad. For those hardcore fanfiction raters though, this chapter might be heading into the 'M' zone, but the line between teen and mature is _veeeeery _blurry nowadays… *whips out flashlight, shines in face, Shutter Island theme thunders through background* _You've been warrrrrned~ _**

**Yoshio: You're such a loser. Eternalsnowfox doesn't own Death Note, any songs, or anything that sounds familiar in this chapter. Everything else that you've never heard of, she probably made up in that messed-up head of hers.**

**Me: Wait, I wanna say something else! A big thank you to everyone who's reviewing, favoriting, following, and just reading! *happy face* You all make me smile real big. Enjoy this heart-wrenching chapter, and don't forget to leave me your thoughts, good or bad. I'm going to make time to actually respond to reviews, seeing as how I've stopped doing it for some reason. But rest assured, your feelings are important to me. *hands heart-shaped cookie made with stalker/obsessed/Misa love* Now, enough blabbering. ONWARD!**

**Kaida: *bursts on stage* TO THE CHAPTER! *snaps fingers, poofs away, leaves everyone staring in disbelief and awe***

…

Mello was the first one of the four in the room. He came to an abrupt halt when he saw on the monitors that the cells of both Aki and Masako were empty. The Task Force members were gathered around the screens in silence.

Matt skidded to a stop behind his friend and took in the scene before him, followed by Shai. Even as they entered, no one moved. Mello took a few steps forward amidst his uncertainty and began sprinting the short distance between him and the others.

"What the hell happened? Where are they?" he screamed, but the officers didn't know how to answer. Their eyes were wide and their mouths were open, apparently trying to comprehend something. L seemed to have recovered, but a shadow of his shock still remained.

"Rewind it," he ordered no one in particular. Mogi was the one to step forward and push the button. The image on the largest screen distorted and after he released the button, a clear picture of Masako and Watari were shown. The girl's hands were bound by handcuffs, but that was it. Her hair was disheveled and her soot-covered uniform remained on her person, though it was getting worn out even after a day. The Watari onscreen progressed forward and crouched down to her level, holding a needle in his right hand.

"_Miss Masako, this will help ease your discomfort. May I?"_

"_No," _was her quick response. Her hair shielded her face and she used her legs to push herself backwards and slide into the wall. Her face was right next to the bench and she pressed her cheek up against it, looking tired.

"_Why not?" _the old man was trying the gentle approach, but Masako wouldn't give in.

"_You are untrustworthy."_

Watari gazed at her with sad eyes before responding, _"It was not my decision to keep you here, and I am willing to make this easier for you. Won't you accept my aid?"_

"_You are invalid," _her voice was hollow, distant. She didn't sound like herself anymore.

"_I'm…invalid?" _he questioned. It was a rather odd choice of words coming from anyone, let alone a fifteen-year-old girl.

"_You are a human. Humans are scum. Scum is invalid."_

There was an eerie silence. Then, _"You are a human as well. Do you consider yourself 'invalid'?" _

"_You're a fool!"_ she immediately responded in a harsh tone. Watari cringed. _"Don't you _dare _try to insult me! You don't know the first thing about me!" _her harshness steadily grew, and soon she was screaming to the point of hysteria. _"Here I am, trapped inside this hideous thing! The living space is torturous, and your voices make me spit in disdain! So much time wasted on such an insignificant human girl and you have no clue as to where she came from. You should be ashamed of yourselves for trusting her!"_

Mello stepped back as everyone winced at the screams. Anyone could have easily taken her words to be relating to her confinement, but Mello knew better. If this was the work of the demon, there was no telling what she would do.

Or…what she was _able _to do.

She began to glow. The blue outlined her being as her screams raged on, her voice beginning to get scratchy. Mello's eyes shifted to the supposed Third Kira on the other monitor, who at the time was probably hearing everything considering the frightened look on his face. His body shook and was surrounded by the same blue aura as the girl.

"_So long, I've been waiting to get out. I've watched these petty events unfold before my eyes, and this is where it all leads? Stuck in a dungeon!" _Her next words softened to something almost inaudible, but the silent officer refused to touch the volume. His gaze was on anything but the recording, and everyone else was still recovering from their shock as they continued to watch it for a second time.

"_You…" _she breathed, _"Watari… Do you know what it's like…to have your heart cut out of your chest?"_

Watari didn't answer her and his fingers squeezed tighter around the needle, positioning it closer. The girl, who Mello couldn't bring himself to call Masako any longer, seemed to notice the movement. With a shout of objection and a flying foot, she sent the needle out of Watari's hand. The plastic and metal hit the wall and clattered to the ground and the sound gave way to a deafening silence. The man rubbed his wrist wearily and eyed the brunette with fearful eyes. The blue that encompassed her grew darker and more prominent, and Watari seemed to notice it from the very beginning. But what could he think of it? The scene before him was impossible. He had an uncertain expression that clearly held questions, but he seemed afraid to ask. He needed to calm her down in some way, but his efforts were driving him in circles.

"_Masako, please-"_

She dove onto one knee and leaned forward, her face hovering only inches away from his. Her voice was low, aggravated, and demonic, yet a smile still spread wickedly across her face._ "She can't hear you." _

Without waiting for a reply, she leapt forward and smashed a foot into his chest, causing him to fall flat on his back as the air was knocked out of his lungs. She raced to the cart he had rolled in beforehand and grabbed the handcuff keys from behind due to her hands being behind her back, and her teeth gripped the handle of a small painstakingly sharp knife. It was pretty clear what she screeched next, even though it was muffled.

"_Burn in HELL!" _another lunge. The light hit the knife in such a way that it glistened beautifully, but only for a second. In the time it took for her to grab the knife, Watari had stood and was in the process of turning around, but he wouldn't be able to move in time. L's voice was heard shouting his name, but it wouldn't be enough. Judging from the angle she was holding that knife, both Watari and L knew that he was going to die.

Right before she could hit her target…

…she vanished.

Mogi quickly pushed the button when he saw Watari's feet rooted to the floor in shock, successfully stopping the video. Everyone had now seen it twice, and even seeing it once was too much.

Mello stumbled back, disbelief flashing in his cerulean orbs. It must have been the demon. There was no way Masako would try to hurt Watari like that. But even with this knowledge he found it hard to believe that what he had just witnessed was real.

"What happened?" Matsuda's question mirrored everyone's thoughts and no one knew how to answer.

Aizawa furrowed his eyebrows and wasn't sure if it was his turn to speak, but he did so nonetheless. "Do you think maybe…she cracked or something?"

"Insane or not insane, I don't think she would've gone to such extremes… I'm more worried about how she managed to disappear in thin air," the eldest Yagami said in almost a whisper, but the usual hoarseness of his tone allowed his words to be heard.

"That's impossible…" Light whispered. L had nothing to add.

Mello turned his head to survey the expressions of his three companions, only to see one of them had gone missing. Did that twit even follow them? No, he was in the elevator. He had to have seen at least a portion of the video. So why, and when did he leave? Did he really think he was so much above everyone else that he didn't need to be here? Did he really not care about Masako at all?

Anger built up inside him as he stomped out of the room, ignoring those that questioned after him. He saw all that he needed to see, and the Task Force wasn't going to make anything out of what took place: there was no reason for him staying. But whether he had reason or not to stay, the rush of frustration blinded his reason and drove him out of the room. He held still in the elevator and tried to prevent himself from kicking the metal walls or pounding his foot into the hard floor. He was saving his venting for the one person who deserved it.

"NEAR!" the exclamation was out of his mouth not even a second before the doors opened and he stormed through the living room, searching for his target. When he spotted a faint glow from behind a half-closed bedroom door, he threw it open and saw a distinct patch of white huddled on his chair with a computer screen's blue background emitting the only light.

"Why are you here?" it sounded more like a demand than a question.

Near, in the smallest voice Mello ever remembered hearing, responded, "I stayed."

"So you saw her disappear and everything?"

"Yes."

"Well why aren't you down there with everyone else trying to figure out what's going on?"

"You know as well as I do that they won't be able to."

Mello shut up for a few moments after he realized that he contradicted his own thoughts. The blonde was aware that the team would never get close to the truth, which was what he just told himself on his way up here. After taking quite some time to get even madder over his mistake, he directed his anger, once again, at the smaller boy.

"You could have at least stayed out of respect for Masako. Don't you think we need to tell them what we know already?"

"It's useless. Ryuzaki would never believe us."

"Then we'll _make _him believe us! We know that she teleported! We know that they could be anywhere! We know that _that_ isn't really Masako! If we could just tell L, he can send out search parties. What if she kills someone? What if she kills herself?" he gritted his teeth as the impatience rolled off of him in waves. "Are you _listening _to me?"

"I am."

"Well?" he said forcefully and crossed his arms.

Near gave the blonde a moment to calm himself before speaking in his normal monotone, but with a slowness that implied something that Mello couldn't decipher. "…We are detectives, not police officers. Allow them to handle the situation."

Mello's eyes took on a circular form as the anger that he had just winded down started to wind up once more. It took all of his willpower not to kick him across the room.

"They won't hesitate to shoot her. You know that," he had surprisingly managed to compose his voice to that of a normal strained tone. After a long pause, Mello figured he wouldn't answer. "So you don't care if Masako lives or dies."

The albino could easily be compared to a statue and his silence was interpreted as apathy. Mello's tolerance level was so low that the line was passed as soon as he saw that Near had left the computer room. Now, he was beyond his usual mad self.

"You heartless bastard!" Mello grabbed the back of the chair and spun the boy around to face him with a drawn-back fist. For the first time in his life, Mello was going to punch Near. Never had he laid a hand on him, but this matter seemed to call for violence in the mind of Mello. He was so blinded by hatred that it wasn't until he saw the albino's eyes did he pause. His disturbed face disappeared and gave way to that of shock, guilt, and pity. Instantly, he knew he had misunderstood.

Near really did care.

In fact, he probably cared more than anyone else.

And Mello should have known.

His eyes weren't dull and empty as they always were. They glistened with tears, though none seemed to have fallen. It was a moment of weakness in which Mello expected himself to rejoice, but he didn't. He couldn't. Why he couldn't – no – _wouldn't _laugh was a mystery to him. Perhaps it was because he wasn't the one to have caused the suffering, or that he wasn't in the mood to smile due to recent events.

As much as he wanted to believe the possibilities that floated around in his skull, only one stood out among the rest.

Masako was a close friend. Not just to everyone in the Task Force, but to Near. _Especially _Near. And Near never had anyone to call his friend (he had occasionally told Mello he wanted to be his friend, but the latter wouldn't give him the privilege of the title).

But Masako was no longer Masako. The demon took over for who knows how long, and the damage had already been done.

She could never come back. Even if everything was explained and acknowledged, it wouldn't be the same.

And Mello couldn't laugh...because he had lost a friend, too.

His grip on the chair loosened and his fingers relaxed. As he tried to get a hold of himself, he backed away from Near and refused to look at him. The silence soon proved to be unbearable, and nothing could be thought of to fill the void.

At last, Mello met Near's gaze, "I won't tell L."

The boy nodded and slowly pulled his chair around back to whatever it was that he was doing. Little did Near know of what he actually meant when he said that.

"Mello."

The blonde in question stopped at the doorway and turned to face Near, but the latter didn't give him the courtesy of seeing his face. Instead, his cloud-colored hair hung low enough to where Mello couldn't see any visage whatsoever.

"Can…you see it in my eyes?"

Mello blinked. See what in his eyes? That was a very odd choice of words to say the least. Although…if he was talking about what Mello thought he was talking about, then Near did pick up on what he meant after all.

Near shook off his silence with a "Never mind," and remained motionless.

He couldn't take anymore of being in the same room with the albino genius, so he left without a word. As he walked to the elevator, almost in slow motion, the words he debated on saying out loud played through his mind on repeat, haunting him.

"_Don't let your emotions get to your head," _he would have advised, even though his hypocrisy was evident. _"We're competing to be the next L. We weren't supposed to make any ties with them, anyway."_

Wait…we? He himself was tied?

An image of Kaida showed clearly in his mind as an answer to his question, but he quickly shook it away. No. No, no, no. He didn't have ties with anyone. He couldn't. He wasn't allowed. That wasn't the life he chose.

He was even more adamant to keep his promise to Near, regardless of how much he despised him. He wasn't going to tell L. He could tell him about the whole story: switching universes, gaining supernatural powers, etcetera. But the one thing he couldn't bring himself to do was to reveal the pain, the loss, and the attachment of his rival. He couldn't reveal Near's weakness.

Because in a way, he would be revealing his own as well.

…

Shai leaned into the railing and felt the wind play with her hair and the ends of her clothing. It was a nice day on the rooftop of the headquarters building, but it couldn't be enjoyed.

Her thoughts were on the video. The scenes played through her head over and over. The 'demon' that Mello mentioned…it had to have taken over Masako. But Shai was only informed that the demon was inside her friend. How did it even get in? Was she bonding with a demon over the last few months? Was there any way to get the real Masako back? Did the monster eat her soul or something? And what was that whole disappearing act about? She was afraid of the answers to these questions, but the curiosity inside her burnt so hot that it was starting to cause an ache in her chest. She _needed _to know.

The girl's gaze trained on the city, taking in the lives of the busy people. How little they knew…

Before Shai's thoughts could drift deeper into the subject, a lone pair of arms were crossed and leaned on the railing right next to her.

"That was scary, huh?" Matt asked as he took a drag from his cigarette.

Shai ignored his greeting, not even bothering to look at him. "She used to come up here and look out at the city. When the weather's warm and the sun is sunny, then it's actually pretty nice…"

He attempted a laugh, but it came out as more of a grunt. "You talk about her like she's dead."

"Is she, Matt?" she stared at him intently, wanting a serious answer.

Matt blinked from behind his orange goggles. "I don't know," he finally admitted.

"We have to find her."

"We will."

"No," Matt turned to her with surprise etched in his features. "We as in Kaida and I."

"Yes, but I can help you-"

"No, you can't. This is something we have to do alone. _We _got mixed in with the Task Force. _We _got ourselves into this mess. The demon is my and Kaida's responsibility."

"What makes you think you and Kaida have to take it on alone?" he puffed out some smoke and Shai's eyes finally met his.

"We won't be. There are others who came to this world. We need to find them and work together to get everything straightened out. But you can't come with us. This isn't your problem."

"You've made it my problem."

Shai tilted her head in question at the strange response, and Matt looked away quickly, stumbling over his words. "Uh, I mean... We're friends, right? I'm willing to help out in any way I can. That makes it my problem."

"No it doesn't, Matt. Besides, you're much safer here with the Task Force."

Matt hummed and leaned over the railing dejectedly. His expression reminded Shai of a kicked puppy, and she pat his shoulder to offer her condolences.

"Hey…" the gamer pulled down his goggles to where they hung around his neck. "In the…um… 'real' world…you know, the place where everything went on like it was supposed to… Did I die?"

The girl paused, unsure as to whether she should tell him. "Yeah." She waited for his reaction and was surprised when he laughed a little.

"I thought so. I always felt like I should go out with a bang."

This caused a smile to spread across her face at his unintentional pun. "If only you knew…"

They reverted back to a serious note as the wind around them died down.

"Nah, I'd rather not think about how I'm going to die. Too depressing. Anyway, I guess you're right about getting out of here. In a way, I think you, Kaida, and whoever these 'others' may be are the only ones that can bring Masako back, if she can be brought back at all. So how're you going to get Kaida out of confinement?"

Shai's gaze rose to the sky for a moment, dwelling on different possibilities. "You still want to help me, right?"

…

"Are you sure about this?" Mello pulled on his black leather gloves and flexed his fingers to secure them.

Matt responded with a quick 'yes' and tossed his car keys with a flick of his wrist. Mello caught them with ease and shoved them inside his black hoodie.

"But why am _I _driving if _you're _better at it?"

The gamer searched underneath his desk and showed a relieved countenance when he pulled out a sleek blue flash drive. "You've got a map of the city built into your brain, Mello. Even though I'm the better driver, it's not like you'll be involved in a car chase. Not only that: If Ryuzaki suspects that we're helping the girls escape, he'll assume that _I _would be the one driving, but if he sees me with his own two eyes, he won't suspect as much."

"I _know _what you're saying, Matt. I just think my plan would go more smoothly."

"Can we just…do it my way for once?"

Mello's eyes hardened and lowered his head dangerously, "You don't want to be the one to say the final goodbyes, do you?"

Matt paused amidst his shuffling, but kept his poker face. The chocoholic understood his hesitation as what he had predicted and allowed his friend to continue without giving a reply. "As long as you're quick enough to drive them to the train station and back before the panic subsides, everything should be fine."

Mello rolled his eyes and brushed him off, "I know, I got it. Let's just go already. Shai only gave us fifteen minutes."

"Right. According to my math, you should pull the car around at 2:47 on the mark. Do you have a key for the jail cell?"

Mello threw him a small metal object and laid an impatient hand on the door. "Stolen and copied."

He grinned and carefully slid the key into his pocket. "Guess you've learned _something _worthwhile from Kaida."

The blonde grunted in acknowledgment as the two filed out the door.

Meanwhile, Shai was frozen to her couch, her eyes focusing on nothingness. Her muscles were rigid and her hands were clasped on her lap, rushing through the plan in her head nearly a thousand times so she wouldn't mess up. Her hand reached for her pocket. Through the cargo print and the rough yet comfortable exterior fabric, she could feel her Nintendo DS.

Now she was ready.

A quick glance at the clock told her it was 2:40. It was go time.

Once in the elevator, she pushed B2, taking her all the way down to the dimly lit basement. Just being there gave her chills. As fast as her body could work, she raced to the generator, unplugged it, and ran to the power box. According to Matt, L didn't have intercoms installed in the lower levels, but she didn't need them to know that everyone was watching and wondering.

She shut off the switches in the power box by the handful, and thus, a complete power outage took hold of the building with no generator to come to its rescue. Sadly, this included the room she was occupying. She saved herself from nearly tripping over the entangled wires by illuminating the room with her trusty DS and quickly headed for the stairs.

Matt's hands lunged for the keyboard as soon as the power went out. The monitor on the wall came to life thanks to the lifelines from his laptop, and Near lifted his headset to cover his ears. He adjusted the microphone carefully as Matt sprung up from his position on the white carpet and left the room.

Outside, Mello stood perfectly still. If everything was going according to plan, Matt should have been done cutting off all other sources of electricity: nearby telephone poles, killing the wifi, and such of the like so the Task Force wouldn't have evidence that the Wammy kids were assisting the girls in their escape. He had confidence in Matt. In Shai? He wasn't sure if she could pull it off. He had never seen her in action, and she didn't look like the type that would be able to outrun the law.

"I'm here!" he was slightly surprised to see the girl he doubted only seconds before and she stumbled forward a bit and panted.

"Were you spotted?"

"I…I don't…think so," she said between breaths.

Mello jabbed a thumb at the red vehicle he pushed himself away from. "Get in and change. You probably have trackers on your clothes, but Kaida doesn't since she was already monitored in confinement."

She nodded and climbed into the car, shuffling through the clothes bag and emptying her pockets.

Mello opened the passenger door and remained at his place, eyeing the entrance. The secretaries, thankfully, had already left their posts due to the outages and saved him the effort of getting rid of them himself. The last thing they needed was witnesses. Two minutes later, Matt and a grey clad Kaida came from around the back of the building: the only exit that didn't involve prying open automated doors.

"All set?" Matt asked, clapping a hand onto Kaida's back as a signal to pick up the pace. She would've bit something back at him, but numbly nodded and climbed into the front seat instead. It's been a month since she had seen the light of day, and of all people, Matt, Mello, and Near were to thank.

"Good luck," Mello said. He made his way around the car in long strides and Matt tapped Shai's window. She winded it down in an instant knowing that time was short, expecting him to say something relating to safety, but he didn't utter a word. The gamer ducked his head into the space and reached for her clothes as his face appeared abnormally close to hers. She blushed when she noticed that he lingered in this spot for a few seconds before pulling out, her clothes in hand.

Matt stepped back with a straight face and a blanket of solemn silence. It wasn't until the car revved and jerked forward did Shai catch the pain that flashed in his eyes. For some reason, she felt guilty. She twisted around in her seat and stared at the figure getting smaller and smaller, a sight that she was sure carved itself painfully into her memory at that moment.

When there was nothing left to look at that caught her interest, she faced front and noticed Kaida's curious glance, having witnessed the exchange and feeling the tension. Shai ignored the silent inquiry and smiled genuinely.

"Long time no-see, Kaida."

Shai's voice cracked from sadness; Kaida's cracked from misuse. "Hi, Shai!" The girl smiled fondly and turned around in her seat to stretch her arms and spread her fingers. "It feels so good to be out of there! Matt told me you guys were busting me out, but he wouldn't go into details. What happened, Mello?"

He held the steering wheel in an iron grip and weaved around buildings and sharp corners, remaining completely focused but still managing to answer Kaida's question. "Shai will explain everything later. All you need to know right now is that you can't stay at headquarters… You can't stay in Japan."

"_What?_"

"If L catches you, he'll throw you in confinement. He'll do the same thing to Shai."

Shai however was only giving half of her attention. The other half was on the object that she had now noticed in her hand. A blue flash drive…where did that come from? It had to have been Matt, but when did he put it there?

"Wait, where's Masako?"

This caught her attention.

"Mello? Shai? Why aren't you answering? Where's Masako?" Kaida repeated. She even went so far as to check under her seat for her bubbly, much-missed friend. Surely they wouldn't leave without her, even though she messed up from time to time. "We can't just leave her behind!" Their silence aggravated her. "Answer me!"

"She's not…" Shai started, but Kaida cut her off.

"Is she…dead?" her tone was so low that the car's occupants had to strain their ears to hear her.

"Masako isn't at Headquarters. She's somewhere out there…" Mello didn't know how to properly reply and he knew this wouldn't satisfy her.

"Somewhere out where?"

Shai fidgeted from the back seat as Mello admitted wryly, "I don't know."

"Wait…what…? Something had to have gone on. Why won't anyone just spit it out?"

"The demon took over, Kaida!"

Mello's harsh tone silenced her as she leaned back in her seat with bewildered features. "You…"

"Yes, I know. Shai," the brunette's eyes snapped to his blue ones in the rearview mirror, "that flash drive Matt gave you has all of the conversations on it, including the video. I'm giving you 80 million yen. Get a hotel, buy a laptop, and catch up on whatever you don't know."

"80 million yen…?" Shai tilted her head in question and Mello understood immediately.

"One million U.S. dollars."

"What?" Kaida and Shai nearly screamed in disbelief.

Kaida regained control of the muscles in her jaw and closed her mouth so she could respond with a coherent sentence, "I know we're on the run and all, but do we really need that much?"

Shai chimed in, "Yeah, isn't that going a little overboard? I don't think we can take that kind of money…"

"No, we're not going overboard and it doesn't matter – you're taking it anyway. You two need to find Masako, get her back to normal and do what you need to do to fix these supernatural problems of yours and _go back _to the real world as fast as you can. L will be searching for you the entire time, and I'm sure he'll have me, Matt, and Near look for you as well. I wish I can say that I'll go easy on trying to track you, but I don't know how long I can keep that up without L getting on my case."

He pulled the car over to the curb and jumped out as Kaida and Shai followed. He opened the trunk and gave a plastic bag to Kaida. "Clothes so you won't have to walk around looking like Near out of a horror movie," Kaida chuckled at his fashion remark and took the bag, moving aside so he could give a locked suitcase to Shai. "This is the money. The combination is 2626."

"What if I don't remember-"

"The letter coding is 'coco.'"

"I take it you're the one that locked it?"

Mello shrugged and pushed them along as they made their way to the train station. "Your train leaves soon. I ordered you last minute tickets, so you better hurry. Just give your names: Ichigo and Kagami Tagashite. Got it?"

Shai nodded and repeated the names over and over again in her head, muttering them under her breath a few times to assist in the memorization. Once inside the busy and rather noisy hall, she and Kaida turned to Mello.

"Really, Mello. Thanks for everything," Shai began, "Thanks…doesn't even begin to cover it."

"We don't have time for sappy goodbyes! Get on the train already," he huffed and looked away from the pair moodily. Shai nodded, knowing their circumstances, and motioned for Kaida to follow her as she headed for the ticket booth.

"Mello?"

His head snapped up when he heard Kaida, who should've been long gone by now. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground and her eyes were glazed over.

"Will we ever see you again?"

For the millionth time that day, he was clueless as to how to answer a simple question. But was it really that simple? He had no idea what the future would hold. He could only hope that he would see her again… No. Why would he care anyway? They were just a few girls. Kaida was just a girl. A stupid American girl who had no influence on his life whatsoever. And neither did Shai or Masako. They were all the same. Cocky, rash, and stupid.

But these thoughts barely scratched the surface of his mind. They weren't really all those things, and he knew it. _He _was all those things. And he didn't deserve to be called their friends. He didn't deserve to be Kaida's friend. He didn't deserve to be by her side.

Before he could stop himself, the words tumbled out of his mouth, "Don't stop running. Never stay in one place, and keep running until you fix everything. If you do, and you still can't go back to where you originally came from, then go to the America in this world. Use your real names, and lead a normal life. Just forget that you ever met us. Kira will be stopped, and you'll have no other reminders of this so-called television show."

Kaida squinted and let out a pained fake laugh as the corners of her mouth lifted only a millimeter, but she couldn't hold it and her face spiraled back into confusion and sadness. She really wished he was joking. "But I can't-"

"Go!" he yelled as his fists clenched.

Shai appeared and grabbed Kaida's sleeve, pulling her towards the train. "Come on," she offered softly, but hurriedly.

Kaida pulled from her grip and crashed into Mello with one of her famous bone-crushing hugs. He winced slightly, but the pain in his arms didn't bother him much as he briefly returned her hug and gingerly pushed her away.

Shai grabbed her sleeve once more and lunged for the open doorway while the two never broke eye contact until the girls were safely inside. Mello watched as the doors closed and the almost newly built train silently crept forward and began to pick up speed. If he blinked, he would have missed it disappear into the dark tunnel.

His eyes cast to the ground as he trudged back to the car. He knew he had to hurry before L noticed his absence, but he couldn't bring himself to put forth the energy. He sat in the driver's seat and shoved his gloved hands into his pockets, only to realize something and suddenly slam his head into the rim of the steering wheel.

"Damn it!" he shrieked as he lifted his throbbing head to reveal his disheveled bangs from the harsh impact. He grinded his teeth and an inhuman growl rose up in his throat. "She stole. My chocolate bar."

…

The sun had set long ago, and the moon took its place, gleaming with purity in the eyes of the optimists and spookiness in the eyes of the rest. The stars couldn't be seen because of the bright city lights and a calming silence settled in, even on the outskirts of the daytime busyness they called Nagoya.

"Mommy! I wanna go home!"

The mother sighed and rubbed her own eyes, nudging her two children along. "We're going home soon. I just need to buy some milk for breakfast tomorrow, but I can't leave you two home by yourselves."

The boy pouted and grumbled, "I can watch me and my sister fine."

"I'm tired, Mommy," the little girl complained. They both had the height of four-year-olds and the girl kept tripping over her own two feet and dropping her stuffed teddy bear.

The woman carried her milk to the counter and pushed a button on her keychain. A silver Volvo beeped right outside the entrance and she knelt down to her kids. "Go wait outside in the car, okay? Make sure your sister gets buckled in."

The boy nodded and took his sister's hand, heading for the exit. Their mother watched them go with an unsure gaze and quickly shuffled through her purse for her money.

The girl's eyes almost drooped closed this time, and she had little motivation to blink the sleep away. The cement ground looked just as comfy as her bed; she was a kid, after all. Her brother pushed her to the car, impatient with her lagging.

"Don't fall asleep here, Mina," he reached for the handle of the door until his sister let out a wail. He whipped around and saw that his sister wasn't harmed, just bawling her eyes out for some reason. "Why are you crying?"

"By…Bwa! Te-Teddy!"

He followed her outstretched finger to the back of a girl in a dirtied unfamiliar school uniform jumping into the trees with his sister's prized toy. Being the easily angered and overprotective older brother he was, he raced after her.

"Hey! Give back her teddy you big bully!" he yelled through the darkness. He stomped ahead and he heard a crackle behind him. Startled, he whirled around on the spot with a fearful expression, but it only turned to annoyance when he saw his little sister. "Don't sneak up on me. I'm trying to be your hero!"

"You're going to bring my teddy back?" she sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes and the snots from her nose as best as she could while the boy put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.

"Just call me Batman!"

She giggled. "Can I be Superman?"

"No, Superman is a boy and you're a girl! Besides, Superman sucks."

"Does not!"

"_Twinkle, twinkle little star...how I wonder what you are…"_

The girl jumped and the boy gulped. They looked around wildly for the source of the singing, but all they could see were the dark greens and browns of the trees.

"_Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky."_

"G-Give back Teddy!" the boy stuttered. He meant it to be loud and intimidating, but it only sounded small and frightened.

"_When the blazing sun is gone…when the nothing shines upon"_

"Kioshi, I'm scared!"

The singing sounded like it was getting closer and the boy stepped in front of his sister in case something popped out at them.

"_Then you show your little light, twinkle, twinkle all the night…"_

A branch on a nearby tree rustled and the kids let out cries of alarm, but saw nothing. They heard however the constant singing that sounded like it was echoing off of the tree trunks. Was it getting even closer?

"_Then the traveler in the dark thanks you for your little spark. _

_He could not see which way to go if you did not twinkle so~"_

The voice started to get rusty, almost comparing to a cat's hiss.

"_When the blazing sun is gone…when the nothing shines upon. _

_Though I know not what you are…"_

The boy's eyes widened and he slowly turned his head. The girl that had run off with the bear was standing dangerously close to them with a glint in her near-dead eyes. A small knife danced in her other hand and a lopsided grin hung on her features.

"_Twinkle, twinkle little star…"_

The little girl gasped and refused to turn her eyes behind her. She didn't have her teddy bear to grip for safety. Mommy would protect her. But where was she?

Before she could scream her tiny lungs out for help, she was pushed to the ground with a brick-breaking force and more tears stung her eyes. She heard her brother scream, but his voice was abruptly cut off by something. An unpleasant squishing sound was heard, and the girl would have covered her ears and hid in the closet if this was a horror movie on TV.

"Oh, don't cry," the girl was no longer singing, but her tone was still menacing. Her comforting words sounded mocking. The child shook violently as she stood and slowly turned her body around, only to be met face to face with her teddy bear.

She grabbed it immediately and hugged it, but something was wrong. It was…

Sticky.

Her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when she noticed her loveable bear was covered from his cute head to his fluffy feet in crimson red. Her fingers repelled from the bear and she stumbled back, finally looking up at the scene before her. A small heap that had her brother's hair was surrounded by the same shade that now plagued her dress. The source of the evil flipped her hair behind her shoulder using the small blade – the color having changed from silver to red.

Everything was a mess, it was all the same color. Red, red, red. Even on the killer, there was red. The girl wouldn't have been surprised if someone had thrown paint in her eyes and was playing a really mean joke on her. But they weren't.

"Hey, little girl."

Her lips trembled as she looked into those piercing eyes. They had turned red with the rest of the scene. The girl's fingers curled slightly as she brought her hands up to her eyes to wipe away the tears, but she hesitated since she was rather thankful for the cloudy vision.

The killer drew her knife in light circles in the air in front of her, continuing, "Do you know what it's like…to have your heart cut out of your chest?"

The four-year-old was starting to hyperventilate, and she wished for her teddy bear. She wished for her mommy.

She wished for her brother.

So she did what any normal child would do in her situation.

She screamed.


End file.
